Rule Breaking
by Shuiro Ecstacy
Summary: Seung Mina and Taki are assigned to guard a man named Mukai by an unheard of group. These girls are young, experienced and cunning warriors who could do this in their sleep. What’s the problem? They have terrible attitudes.
1. RB: Chapter 1

_A quick author's note:_ Chapters will be added by the day. The fanfiction consists of action, romance, mystery, suspense, humor, etc. My only request: no flames. If you don't enjoy the characters, settings, plots, pairings, and so on, blame yourself. Enough information was offered in the summary as well here. If you fail to read either, you're at fault.

All work and non-innovative characters are copyrighted by Scarlet (_Shuiro Mistress_). All else are credited to the original makers of © Namco.

* * *

Taki

_Noticing your rapid rising skill and stunning intelligence, we've personally assigned you as a bodyguard for one of our elders. This man travels frequently and is often interrupted and assassinated along the way. He goes by the name Mukai. You'll extend this trip at an approximate length of three months minimum on foot. If you refuse, we'd have no choice but to take it into our hands, persuasively, if you understand us._

_Before we forget, we should tell you that you wouldn't be traveling alone with Mukai. We've notified another warrior we think is at your same status such as yourself about the situation._

_We ask that you meet on the bridge near the stream down the road of your village tomorrow morning. You'll meet Mukai and your partner there._

_Many thanks,_

The Unknown Leaders

Nearly glaring at the letter, Taki growled and clenched her hand around the paper. She used the same hand to crumbled the rest of it and throw it to her side.

_Damn it_, she thought. _Why would they randomly choose me to do this? I know I'm one of the best around. Sure, but over and over I'm requested to fulfill these missions. I'm not even asked anymore. They're more like orders now._ She paused. _And who is the other warrior? Someone I know?__

* * *

_

_Seung Mina _

_Noticing your rapid rising skill and stunning intelligence, we've personally assigned you as a bodyguard for one of our elders. This man travels frequently and is often interrupted and assassinated along the way. He goes by the name Mukai. You'll extend this trip at an approximate length of three months minimum on foot. If you refuse, we'd have no choice but to take it into our hands, persuasively, if you understand us._

_Before we forget, we should tell you that you wouldn't be traveling alone with Mukai. We've notified another warrior we think is at your same status such as yourself about the situation. _

_We ask that you meet on the bridge near the stream down the road of your village tomorrow morning. You'll meet Mukai and your partner there._

_Many thanks,_

The Unknown Leaders

Mina tilted her head. _What is this about? Isn't there anyone else they could ask to do this?_ The girl sighed, stroking the braid that lay over her shoulder. She re-read the letter. She wasn't sure why. But as her eyes followed the last line of the note, she cocked an eyebrow.

_Another warrior? Do they know me? Much less, are they a friend…?_


	2. RB: Chapter 2

Finishing up the last touch of her hair, Taki stopped walking and looked around the bridge she stood on. She lowered her arms and crossed them, waiting for her late companions. It was nearly noon; she had thought she would be late herself.

_This is ridiculous. It's such late notice, and I'm pretty much forced against my will to do it._ Taki sighed. _No matter. It'll be done before I know it, and I'll be back even sooner._

A movement in front of her vision caught her attention. She put both hands on her daggers and waited. It was stupid, she knew, but around here (especially with the people she knew, such as Ivy), you could never be too careful.

As she expected, it was neither Ivy nor anyone else she knew that stepped into the clear way of the path opposite of which she'd traveled. It was a man, nearly two feet shorter than her. He wore a robe-like jacket; somewhat similar to what Kilik wore, except it fit him much better. Taki wrinkled her nose and shivered at the sight of the man's open chest.

Mukai gave a happy smile and wave at Taki. She just lifted her chin and waited for him to arrive. As the man approached, Taki noticed that the smile never wore off. If nothing else, it had gotten bigger. He stopped in front of her and looked up. His eyes were squinted, as if he were looking straight into the sun. For a moment neither of them spoke or moved.

Finally, Mukai cleared his throat. "You know, young one, it's polite to introduce yourself when meeting someone else. I assume you already know who I am, do you not?" He gave another friendly smile. Taki rolled her eyes.

"Call me Taki."

Mukai nodded. "I shall."

Both of them jerked their heads up when they heard a call of a woman. Taki just gave a 'hm' and waited impatiently. She wanted to know whom she'd be traveling with. She'd probably be of higher standards and have to hand out orders as they went along. Great.

But when she saw who appeared in her sight, a groan escaped her lips.

Shit… why does it have to be _her_?

Seung Mina walked up to the two figures on the bridge. She gave a sympathetic smile to the old man, but paused at the sight of Taki. The two of them had fought quite a few previous battles. None of them had been very attractive. Mukai glanced from girl to girl, Taki in her grey and black armor with a disgusted look on her face, then to the other, wearing one of the most revealing outfits he'd ever seen, a rod in her hand and a content but grim look on her face. He nearly chuckled. Oh yes. They knew each other.

"So, it seems you two girls have met. This will be an interesting trip, then. Alright, lets get a move on." Without hesitation, Mukai began walking in the direction Mina and Taki had come. They walked behind him, not saying a word. Every now and then, one would glance up and shoot a glare at the other, but would quickly look away when they were caught. The aged man in front of them once again broke the silence.

"Oh yes, girl with the braid, I never asked your name." Mina's hateful look completely dropped from her face. She looked in the direction of Mukai and smiled.

"I'm Seung Mina… Mina for short if you prefer." Mukai nodded without looking back.

Sighing, Mina looked back at the ground. What was this entire trip going to be like? It wouldn't be pleasant, she knew that much. Taki was a very hotheaded girl. And, blushing to herself, Mina knew she could be too.

Taki didn't move her head, but kept her eyes on the girl walking next to her. What was she thinking? She hadn't looked up for awhile now. Was she being stubborn or shy? Or did she have just as much apathy for the trip as Taki and just want to get it over with?

"Ah, here we are. We'll be traveling like this for a few hours. It won't take too long to get to where we'll be walking for the rest of the trip." Taki and Mina looked up, neither of them having noticed that they'd walked all the way to the river already. Floating in front of them was a small motorboat. A very skinny man waited next to it. He mumbled something to Mukai and listened as the old man responded. Taki and Mina, for the first time, willing exchanged looks. The letter had never mentioned anything about going over water. Mukai turned to the girls and made a gesture to follow him. With no words to say, they obeyed and boarded.

The skinny man didn't hesitate to start the boat the second Mina's first foot touched it. The man obviously didn't notice she wasn't completely on and the boat began to move, causing Mina to lose her balance. She gave a small cry and nearly fell back as the boat immediately got faster. Taki spun around and grabbed Mina's wrist. The girl had both feet on the boat now, but her body was balanced outside of the boat's perimeters. They didn't say anything; they just stared at each other. Taki shook her head and pulled Mina (with a little too much force) into the boat. The girl stumbled forward, making sure she had a good grip on Scarlet. She kneeled, looking over her shoulder at Taki. The girl was already sitting on the edge of the boat, arms crossed and looking at the water as they passed. Mina sighed and stood, walking to Mukai, who welcomed her to sit next to him.

Mina didn't say anything, and Mukai took it as an emotion other than boredom.

"So I'm guessing the two of you have had a rough past?" Mina lifted her head.

"Huh? Oh, uh, yeah. You could say that." She looked up again to watch Taki, who hadn't moved from her same position. Mukai looked at Taki, then back at Mina.

"Well if you two dislike each other, why do you seem upset?" Mina shook her head.

"I'm not upset. I just don't like to hold grudges and wish she didn't either. She's one of the people I can relate to. Well, at least out of the ones I've battled, anyway." Mukai raised an eyebrow.

"So, you've fought each other. That's it?" Mina looked at the man out of the corner of her eye. Mukai chuckled.

"Dear child, that's nothing. I thought it might have had something to do with family, or a country." He paused. "Or a relationship." Mina laughed.

"Oh, no. The only sort of 'relationship' I've ever had was with a man named Yunsung. And I don't think you could really call it a relationship." She smiled a little. "But, although Taki and I have had teeth-grinding days, I think of her as someone to look up to, really. She's around my age, and I've grown to admire her in ways I haven't admired anyone else. She's an excellent warrior, and she always manages to act laid back, although I know that's not how she feels inside. She's very tense and uptight with most people, always looking for someone to take her anger out on. I've been the prey of her swords several times."

Mina finally stopped talking and sighed, this time much more deeply. Mukai could tell it was of sadness. He looked at her, and a tiny smile quirked at his lips. Mina finally gave him her attention and looked at him.

"What?"

Mukai shook his head and stared at the water.

"Oh, nothing…"


	3. RB: Chapter 3

Taki climbed out of the boat first, followed by Mukai and Mina. Mukai quickly took his place in front of Taki, leaving the girls to walk next to each other again. This time, Taki didn't look up even once. Mina noticed this and couldn't help but feel hurt. She had absolutely no idea why; they were clear enemies, and she knew plenty well that Taki hated her with a pure passion. So why was she so concerned with the girl?

"Well, girls, we've spent most of the day already getting here. What say we find a good place to stay for the night?" Mukai began to travel off the road to find a clearing. Taki groaned in misery. She hadn't thought of that since they'd left this morning. She had to sleep either with an old man or her hated companion, seeing as how there were only two bags. She glanced at the girl who was following Mukai already and sighed in exasperation. It wouldn't hurt. They weren't _complete_ enemies…

Taki sat with one leg bent toward her, the other leg bent up, an arm propped on it. Mina lay on her side and moved her finger around in the dirt. Mukai had already gone to sleep. The flickering fire teased the shadows, causing flashes of motion to appear in the girls' visions every now and then. Neither was too paranoid, though. They knew there was nothing around here, no village for miles and there were no boats on the shore either.

Mina decided to bring up a conversation. She knew she'd probably regret it, but she had to say something to Taki. She'd be spending a lot of time with her; she might as well talk.

"Did you get your letter yesterday evening, too?"

Taki didn't move. Her gaze lay on the sky, visible through the branches of hundreds of trees. Mina blinked. Had she even heard her? She tried again.

"Did you get…"

"_Yes_."

Mina stopped. Taki didn't move, but shifted her stare to Mina's face.

"Why must you know?"

Mina opened her mouth, but nothing came out. She hadn't expected an answer like that. She really hadn't even expected an answer, now that she thought about it. Taki muttered something and closed her eyes. Mina sighed hopelessly. What was the point? She rolled over on her back and pulled the top of the bag over her. She slowly closed her eyes.

"Are you interested in anyone?"

It was an odd question, but it was communication.

Mina's eyes opened. She lifted herself on her side again and looked at Taki, who was looking right back at her again. She gave a slight smile.

"Nah. Not really. What about you? You seem pretty occupied with Mitsurugi a lot." She laughed. Taki, for the first time as far as Mina knew, smiled.

"No. Actually, we're not at all friends. Differences refuse to settle, lets leave it at that."

Mina nodded. "Same with Yunsung. Although I must admit…" She giggled again. "He's charming in… his own way, I suppose." Taki gave a half smile.

"Well then, I suppose we should try to get some sleep in. We do have a long journey ahead of us; well need all the energy we can get." Mina nodded again and moved over as Taki slid under the bag next to her. It was spacious, but still very close. At first the girls felt a little uncomfortable, but as soon as their eyelids got too heavy, they forgot completely about the lack of space and drifted off to sleep.


	4. RB: Chapter 4

_Author's Note:_ I got a question asking which game this was for. Soul Calibur II is the only game of the series that I've really played. I haven't had the chance to play the third game, and I've only played the first once, and that was quite a long time ago, so all my memory originates from this game. Though I would absolutely love to try out the last game. Unfortunately, my local blockbuster only provides the second game (plus perhaps ten more games for Gamecube); the next time I decide to spend my pocket money on a game system, I'll think of the quanity of games I'll be able to buy.

* * *

"Mina…? Mina, get up. Come on." Taki climbed out of the bag and knelt next to the girl waking up beside her. Mina sat up and shook her head. It was still dark, but she could tell it was early morning. Birds could be heard every few seconds. She looked up at Taki whose eyes were darting from tree to tree.

"Taki? What's going on? Is there something out there…?" A finger placed on her lips interrupted her. Taki didn't move, so Mina did the same. Finally, Mina heard rustling in a tree above her head. She gasped, Taki's finger still covering her mouth, but she didn't look up. She knew better than to tell a stalker that she knew they were there. Taki took her hand back and placed one on her dagger's hilt attached to her hip. Mina leaned back on her elbows, but kept a hand rested on her rod.

Without warning, a figure dropped from the tree. Mukai stirred, but didn't wake as Taki and Mina leapt to their feet, weapons in hand. The figure laughed, indicating it was a male. But Mina knew the sarcastic mock anywhere, and chuckled as she put a hand on her hip.

"What brings you here, Yunsung?"

The figure stepped forward into the light of the fire to reveal that it was indeed Yunsung, a smug look on his face as always. Taki crossed her arms.

"What do you want, Yunsung? Answer us."

Yunsung stood before them with his sword rested on his shoulder. He grinned.

"Eh, nothing much. Just wanted to check up on you guys and make sure you were doing everything the way you're supposed to." Taki and Mina glanced at each other.

"How did you know what we were doing?" Taki advanced on Yunsung, who just raised a hand defensively.

"Please. All I know is that you're guarding that old guy over there." He nodded toward Mukai, who still hadn't woken up. Mina stared at Yunsung.

"But why would you _follow_ us? Do you want something or not?" Yunsung put a fake hurt look on his face.

"Aw, come on Mina… don't act that way. I missed you, that's all." He put an arm around Mina's shoulders. She rolled her eyes and shoved him off. He chuckled and put a hand on his hip.

"No, really. I just wanted to come along for the ride. That okay with you, girls?"

Mina and Taki looked at each other.

"Yeah, sure. It's fine. Just stay out of the way and keep your mouth shut…" Taki raised an eyebrow. "And keep your hands to yourself." Yunsung grinned again as Taki went back to her bag.

"Will do, miss. What about you, Mina? You're pretty quiet all of a sudden. Something wrong with me coming with you guys?" Mina growled and turned away.

"No. I don't care either."

Yunsung nodded and walked in the direction of the road, as did Taki with her rolled up bag. The sun had already started to come up. Mina was left to wake Mukai. After they'd met on the road, Mukai looked up at Yunsung. What was he doing here? The elder shook his head. No matter. The more the merrier.

Yunsung was put next to Mukai to walk next to. To be honest, neither Taki nor Mina wanted anything to do with the man. They shivered whenever he glanced over his shoulder at them. Mina could swear she saw him wink at her at least once. That had to stop. She finally looked at Taki after awhile.

"What do you think he really wants?"

Taki looked back. "I just think he's being nosy. The only reason he snuck up on us at night is because he's an ass. Don't let him get to you. He's not that intelligent."

"I heard that. What's the matter, Taki? Don't you like me?" Yunsung chuckled and continued to walk forward. Taki growled but didn't say anything. Mina couldn't help but smile. This would definitely be a strange trip, with Yunsung coming along.

* * *

"Where exactly are we?" Taki looked around as the four walked on. She had never seen this part of the woods before. Then again, she didn't think that she'd ever traveled this far into it, either. Mina shrugged. 

"I dunno. I guess Mukai knows where he's going. I hope, anyway." She was now in the middle of Yunsung and Taki. The girls had taken pity on the man, having to walk along side Mukai (who wouldn't shut up about his home village).

Taki was twiddling with a feather she'd picked up earlier. It was pretty quiet, except for the soft steps of the group walking on the loose dirt. Taki jumped when she heard a squeal and what sounded like a loud smack. She and Mukai turned to face a steaming Mina, fists and teeth clenched. Yunsung blinked several times before rubbing a red mark on the side of his face. Mina growled deeply.

"Touch me like that ever again and you'll get more than a slap in the face."

With that, the grumbling girl began to walk again. Mukai, not wanting to be behind, rushed ahead of Mina. Taki smirked as she and Yunsung started to follow them. Yunsung only sighed and ran his hand through his blazing red hair, which didn't loose its spiky form. Taki decided not to mess with either of them for a while.

She wanted to see what would happen.

* * *

Yunsung didn't feel comfortable walking with Taki. The girl had such a bad attitude. Towards anything she disliked. Or anyone. 

He cleared his throat. Nothing. Raising an eyebrow, he reluctantly and slowly looked up at Taki. With reflexes quicker than he'd ever seen, she darted her eyes at him as soon as he did. Gasping and with a blush on his face, he stared back at the ground. Taki grinned and looked forward as well.

Yunsung cursed under his breath several times. Why was he so god damn perverted?

He tried again, this time trying to be a bit sneakier. He moved his waist and hand in a way that his sword came loose from its hilt. It started to fall out, and Yunsung bit his lip as he reached for it before it hit the ground. Luckily for him, it fell in front of Taki, so when he reached for it, she tripped. She gave a little cry and fell forward, trying to catch her balance. But before she could do it herself, Yunsung grabbed her by the waist and pulled her towards him.

Taki wasn't amused. She attempted to pull away, and Yunsung let her, but not before he brushed his hand below her lower back. Taki's face flushed. She grabbed Yunsung's throat with a single and threw him to her right, only moving her arm. He flew straight into a tree and fell in a pathetic heap to the ground. Mukai and Mina wheeled around at the sudden shake below their feet (yes, the blow was that powerful).

"Taki, what did you… _do_?" Mina walked over to Yunsung, obviously forgetting what he'd done earlier, and kneeled next to him. He groaned in pain, trying to get up, not noticing the slight help that Mina gave him. Coughing a few times, Yunsung looked up at Taki, and to her surprise he smiled at her.

"That was impressive. But what's to be expected of you girls?" He turned his head to Mukai. "I guess you have nothing to worry about. They're plenty protective over themselves; they'll do the same for you." He grinned and put a hand behind his head, walking on. The other three just stared.

What a freak…


	5. RB: Chapter 5

The day went by kind of quickly, though they'd done nothing but walk through the forest all day. Taki wondered how large the forest actually was.

They stopped early; originally they'd just planned to rest, but after Yunsung wouldn't wake up from his 'nap', they decided just to stay there for the night.

The clearing was smaller than the one they'd slept in the night before. Mukai had failed to mention that he'd brought a separate blanket. Yunsung would have a place to sleep, to Mina and Taki's displeasure. They, of course, slept together again. But neither could actually _sleep_. Something was troubling both of them. Was it the fact that they seemed to be going in circles in this forest? Honestly, it was hide-and-seek galore. Could it have anything to do with that they had to deal with an obnoxious pervert while guarding an old man? The two didn't exactly match to add up to a pleasant trip.

Or did it have to do with each other?

Taki was beginning to feel Mina was getting close to Yunsung. And it didn't make sense. Was she feeling pity for him because she threw him against the tree? Was she really attracted to him after all? Taki couldn't put her finger on it, but there was a new feeling she had grown for Mina ever since Yunsung had started pestering them. Paranoia? Was she feeling a bit too protective, perhaps? She supposed it was just a girl thing, two girls and one idiot. That's natural, right? But why did she _care_?

Mina was having a few different thoughts. Taki got a bit forceful with Yunsung today, she thought. I guess I did hurt him too, but she didn't have to go that far. Then again, Yunsung really had no right to do what he did, to either of us. Mina quietly sighed. She was too confused. Yes. She would admit it. She had a bit of a childish crush on Yunsung. But could she help it? I mean, who wouldn't? He had a strange, yet somewhat charming attitude. He was well skilled with his sword. And he was extremely attractive. But Taki carried the same traits, and she didn't have a crush on her.

Mina's eyes shot open.

What?

She closed her eyes again. I'll ignore whatever just popped into my head, she murmured in her head as she yawned.

"Mina…?"

Being only a whisper, Mina was disappointed that she couldn't hear who it was. She sighed in frustration as her eyes slowly opened, expecting to see Mukai. She came fully awake when she saw Yunsung sitting over her. She slowly sat up, trying to be sure she didn't wake Taki, who had finally fallen asleep. He helped her out of her bag and stood next to her. Mina, acting as she always did around him, gave a bit of an annoyed look.

"Yeah? What's so important that you have to wake me up, huh?" She felt proud on the inside. Her acting skills were elite. He blushed a bit and took her hand.

"Follow me, okay?"

Mina just stared, not sure what to do. She didn't want to leave Taki alone with Mukai, but she'd just get it over with. Not to mention, she'd be with Yunsung. In the dark. _Alone_. He pulled on her arm and she hesitantly followed, her hand cupped with his.

Dark eyes watched the two walking away.

"Why are we out here?" Mina looked around. There was really no point. It was all the same; just more trees. Yunsung looked over his shoulder, then back forward.

"We need to get as far away as we need so we can't see the campfire." Mina looked behind her. It was pretty dim, but they'd have to go a little further until it was out of their sight. She wondered what he was going to do.

Her heart jumped. Duh! Dark forest plus alone time equals… she put her free hand over her mouth. Did she trust him enough though? What _exactly_ was he going to do?

After what seemed like an eternity of walking (in actuality only being two minutes), they stopped and snuck behind a pretty large tree. Yunsung didn't let go of Mina's hand. In fact, he took her opposite one in his other hand. Mina blushed as Yunsung brought both of her hands up to his face in his. Damn it, Mina, quit acting like a foolish girl! She screamed in her head. You're such an obvious idiot. Yunsung looked at Mina's hands, then at her.

"Your hands are pretty cold." He gently kissed the tips of her fingers, and, while holding her hands in one, he took his other and brushed the back of his fingers against her cheek.

"Your entire body is cold, Mina." He moved closer to her, making her look away. He gave a hurt look and held her chin, turning her head back to him. Mina sighed to herself at the way he looked. The moonlight was absolutely perfect, and immediately set her in a romantic mood. Yunsung chuckled, catching her by surprise.

"Why, my lady, I thought you were angry at me for my previous actions."

Mina blinked. She didn't know what caught her off guard first, that he had called her 'my lady' or the fact that he had actually said 'my lady'. She stuttered a bit.

"Oh, well, I uh… I thought I'd let it pass. I mean, it was stupid and all, but…"

Her eyes opened wide when she felt something warm against her lips. She thought it was his finger, just because she was babbling like a complete idiot. But when her vision somewhat cleared, she realized he was kissing her. Lightly, but it was a kiss. Both of them seemed a little uncomfortable. But when Yunsung saw that she wasn't fighting back, he moved to where he had his arms around her waist and pulled her body even closer to his. Mina's eyes were still open.

What the hell was he doing?

She thought about blowing him into the next dimension. Gods knew she could. But… why would he kiss her if he knew that too? She only pulled her head away from his, their eyes meeting. Mina's attention was dragged to the glimmer that his eyes held. She wanted to stare at them forever. But even more…

She growled and pulled his head back to hers, forcing their lips into another kiss. This one was more commanding, and Yunsung could tell Mina was enjoying herself, as was he. He opened his mouth. Just a little… only to let her know that he was impatient and urgent to move on. She responded in his favor by opening her mouth as well. Their tongues went into a war of pleasure.

He's… such a g-great kisser… Mina nearly died in pleasure. After quite a few minutes of continuous kissing, they stopped. Figuring it'd be too awkward to walk back to camp now, they'd stay here to sleep. Yunsung lay under the tree first, pulling Mina against him. A heavy wave of sleep drifted over them, almost in unison, while Taki dragged herself back to the campsite.


	6. RB: Chapter 6

"Taki, wake up, eh? I can't find Mina or Yunsung. The two must have wandered off somewhere…" Mukai shook Taki's body in attempt to wake her. As she sat up, Mukai sighed and stood up straight.

"What's wrong with you, girl? You're usually the first one up, refreshed and ready to get the bloody hell out of wherever we are. Now you're acting like you hadn't gotten a bit of sleep." Taki groaned and made a motion with her hand indicating that she was up and well. Mukai shook his head and walked away. Taki put her head in her hands.

Why did she care so much?

Mukai was right; she hadn't been able to get any sleep at all, actually. She'd been fully awake when he'd started shaking her.

This was ridiculous. Did she love Yunsung? Oh God, no. No, no, no. That couldn't be right. Not only was it disgusting, it wasn't logical either.

Crackling broke her thoughts (thank God). Taki looked up to see Mina and Yunsung walking towards the camp. Yunsung walked a little behind Mina; in fact they seemed to be trying to stay away from each other. Taki wanted to smirk at their embarrassment. But for some reason, she couldn't bring herself to do it this time.

There was no sound today. That meant no teasing, no laughing, no scolding, and no questions. Yunsung and Mina never once looked at each other, as far as Taki knew. Mukai obviously wasn't interested. Taki wanted to shove Mina against one of the towering oaks and scream in her face. She wanted to know why she was such a damn traitor. Why she'd snuck off in the middle of the night. Why she thought she could go without notice, especially with someone like Taki around. And why Yunsung and Mina had quite the relationship all of a sudden, then broken by daylight.

Taki didn't think Mina knew about Taki's knowledge. Mina was a warrior, yes, but still a naive child under her fierce armor. And Taki wanted to make her suffer for the betrayal she felt. A lot.

"I'm a light sleeper, you know."

Mina glanced over.

"You're talking to…"

"Yes."

"Um, okay… is this something that the guys need to hear? We can move farther up if you'd like."

"No, Mina." She lowered her voice. "I don't think Yunsung likes having his business stabbed into. But you… is there a reason you prefer sleeping under a tree rather than a bag?"

Mina beat the living hell out of herself in her mind. Damn it, damn it… baka, baka, baka! She clenched and loosened her fists. Why take such a risk when Taki had been right there? But of course, she had every right to do what she did. So why did Taki sound so offended? Letting go of a breath she hadn't known she was holding, she darted her eyes across the ground in front of her.

"It's not like I risked our mission."

"Yes, Mina, but why would you do that the first night of his visit?"

"Look, Taki, I've known him longer than you have. I didn't just meet him yesterday, and you know that well."

"You told me just two days ago that what you two had couldn't be called a relationship."

"I also told you my other feelings about him."

Yunsung heard the mumbles and harsh whispers, and looked over his shoulder the best he could without being noticed. But damn it, they were to far back to hear them clearly or read lips.

Girl crap, he thought, looking forward again. I'll stay out of it. I can probably talk it out of Mina to tell me later.

"So you're saying that these are really feelings? Or are they just words in your defense?"

"I don't know why you're so uptight about this all of a sudden. We're going to be on this trip for a fourth of a year, Taki. And so far, it doesn't look like much is going to happen. So why the hell shouldn't I have somewhat of a relationship with Yunsung, huh? What's it to you?"

"Because your past with him and what happened yesterday… I don't know how you can feel so comfortable doing what you did last night."

"You think I was _comfortable_?"

"You sure as hell seemed like it."

"Taki! I can't believe this! Don't you think I had the slightest thoughts of knocking him unconscious and leaving him there? You know I could have!"

"So why didn't you?"

It wasn't a question. It was almost like… an order. A command. Like she wanted her to do it this very second. Mina tried to fight back tears. They weren't there yet, but they were coming.

"Because, I liked it."

"What?"

"I didn't stutter. I liked it. I liked the feeling of it. Sure, at first, I was shocked that he'd done something like that. And I wanted to smack him to kingdom come. But I didn't, because his intentions were pure, and so was the moment. I think I deserve a little thought on this, instead of automatic conclusions, don't you?"

"No. "

"And why the hell-"

"_Because you're a traitor, damn it!_"

Yunsung and Mukai stopped at the raise in the girls' voices. Yunsung squinted and started to walk to the girls. Mukai grabbed his arm and pulled him along the trail.

"Trust me, boy. That'll be the worst and last fight you'll ever take part of."

Mina glared at the black haired girl in front of her. Taki stared with eyes just as hateful.

"A traitor, huh? So that's it. You think I could care less about you and want to disconnect from my mission."

"It isn't _your_ mission. I was called for it too. Don't think everything is going to be about you right now, because I'll be damned if it is."

"Then why don't you go ahead with Mukai yourself and let Yunsung and I travel back? The hell with these Unknown Leaders… I'll go as far as killing them if I have to. But if you think I _want_ this to be about me, then you are so sadly mistaken."

"It has to be about you! Why else would I be thinking of you as a selfish bitch right now? Huh? Don't you even _think_ about my emotions?"

"What are you talking about?"

"You, damn it! _You_!"

Mina stopped. Her…

"What do you mean…"

"I mean since the first day we started this mission. I mean since the moment we shared sleeping space. From the moment Yunsung was involved with either of us, I mean I've had feelings for you, Mina. You haven't noticed, and you haven't cared. And to be honest, it took me a bit of thinking to figure them out too. But for the past three days, there's been nothing but worries and concerns for you. And of course you blow off the connections we were finally able to make and go along with Yunsung. Do the words 'betrayal' and 'traitor' mean anything to you _now_?"

Even if Mina could have gotten an answer in before Taki walked away, she wouldn't have been able to say it. Unable to breathe or keep her eyes dry, she slowly followed in the direction of the other three.


	7. RB: Chapter 7

Author's Note: _A great thanks to Major Mike Powell III. The only kind (or brave?) soul to leave any comments whatsoever on my fanfiction. It can't be that bad, can it? Despite the disliking for my unintentional pairing, Mike has been quite the supporter. I need more of these. Many more; it's my motive for finishing the story whenever. Which won't be soon, as I intend to make this my longest fanfiction. Anywho, leave love, flames, suggestions, etc. I'll listen to all of them._

_Oh, and one favor I ask of all readers: please, if you spy any grammer or spelling mistakes, by all means point them out. I'll fix them as soon as I possibly can._

* * *

More silence. What a great word, huh?

Taki now walked in the very front. Despite Yunsung's eyes and Mukai's complaints, Taki ignored them both.

Forget all of them. Just get the mission over with, and you'll never have to look them in the eyes again, Taki growled in her head. Besides, even if you do, they'll probably be on the ground either begging for mercy or screaming in pain.

Yunsung could swear he heard Mina crying. But every time he tried several times to look behind him, she would look away.

What's gotten into these girls…? Yunsung noticed that Mukai seemed not to care. In fact, he seemed as bright as a cherry. Yunsung couldn't help but chuckle (almost giggle) at the sight of the old man being a cherry. Hell, he had the shape for it. Taki heard the man's laugh and growled clearly.

Yunsung shut his mouth.

"Well!" Mukai said suddenly, making the other three jump. The man stretched, making Yunsung shudder and look away. Mukai's underarms weren't the prettiest in the world. Mukai yawned and looked around.

"What do you three say we stop for awhile, hm? I'm very sure we could all use the rest."

No one said anything. All four kept walking. Mukai tapped his fingers together.

"I'm fine." Taki finally spoke up. Mukai tilted his head. Mina nodded, though no one looked at her.

"I don't need to stop either. We'll keep moving."

Yunsung rolled his eyes. "Well I for one am so tired, I…" Taki whirled around. Yunsung gulped.

"Well then get lost. You've been nothing but trouble the second you got here, and nothing but trouble since. If you're tired, so be it. Take a nap under another big tree. And you can keep Mina with you if you want. But I want to get what I came here to do done, and afterwards, if I ever see either of you again, you'll die. Clear?" And she stormed off, completely alone. Mukai was a bit worried to follow, but he did. Yunsung slapped his forehead and turned to Mina, who had stopped as well.

"So is that what this is all about? She's pissed because we slept together? What the hell is her problem? Did you tell her?"

"No! She… I woke her up when you pulled me out of my bag last night. She followed us into the woods and saw everything. She's angry because…" Mina stopped and covered her mouth, trying not to cry again. Her eyes had just lost the last bit of redness from her previous tears.

Mina closed her eyes and lowered her head, as well as her arm. Yunsung sighed. He was so not good at this kind of thing. He wrapped his arms around her from the side. Using one of his hands to lift up her chin, he leaned his forehead against hers.

"Tell me what she said."

Mina took in a few breaths and let them out.

"Okay…"

* * *

"Anything you wanna talk about kid?"

"No."

"Are you sure?"

"Positive."

"Don't lie to me now."

"I'm fine."

Mukai could see where this was going. He grinned daringly.

"Are you really sure?"

"Absolutely. Never been better."

"You're lying."

"Would you shut the fuck up?"

Silence.

"Taki."

"_What_."

"…Lying isn't a good thing to do."

Taki growled deeply and spun around. She almost hit the man, making him laugh, but she saw something to her right. Sharply taking out her daggers, she crossed her arms and threw them out again, releasing the daggers. Mukai was shocked. She'd done that in only three seconds…

Nothing could be heard. Mukai started to move, but stopped at the sight of Taki's warning eyes. He was to be still. So he was. The only part of Taki's body that moved was her foot. She inched it slowly, as if about to spring. In an instant, she darted forward, and screams of men were heard. Mukai yelped and ran forward to find Taki with two gangly men, each being held by the back of their ragged shirts. Mukai nodded in approval.

"Nice work, girl." He took out a knife of his own, taking Taki by surprise, and held it to what seemed to be the older man's throat.

"Who are you two, and what are you doing way out here in the woods?"

The man whimpered and lowered his head. Neither of them said a thing. Mukai cleared his throat.

"Don't ignore me, boy. You'll do good to answer me in a calm and honest way."

Finally, both men made a bit of noise. Neither Taki nor Mukai could understand quite what it was. It became a little clearer. Soon, they realized they were laughing. The men lifted their heads and glared with grins on their faces at Mukai.

"We're hunting."


	8. RB: Chapter 8

"So that's it. She's a lesbian."

"Would you shut up? It's an awkward situation and you're not helping at all by saying such things."

"Well it's true, isn't it?"

"I don't know! That's the problem. I had no idea she had feelings for me. And I ruined all of it by…" Her mouth clamped shut. Yunsung raised an eyebrow. The two were sitting under a tree, Yunsung with his arms around Mina. But that was over in just a few seconds. He stood up and crossed his arms in front of her.

"So is this my fault?"

"No! Well, in a way, yes… but…"

"Well it isn't. How was I supposed to know, huh?"

Mina sighed. "You didn't, I know. Neither did I. But what can we do, Yunsung? I was called for this assignment too. I can't just leave it. And we can't just start a relationship out of nowhere."

"And why not? You heard her. She doesn't give a damn what we do."

"Yes, Yunsung, but I have dignity. I don't know about you, but I'm leaving." Mina stood and began walking in Mukai and Taki's direction. Yunsung gave a look of disbelief.

"So that's it then. After last night, this is what you want to do?" Mina continued to walk. Yunsung became angrier. He didn't like being ignored. He walked forward and grabbed her shoulder. Mina quickly grabbed his arm and flung him into the nearest tree, just as Taki had done. Yunsung stared at Mina, who flicked her braid over her shoulder and walked away.

She didn't get far when she heard struggling noises ahead of her. Confused, curious and a bit worried, she sped her pace up. Was Mukai or Taki in danger? There was no one else out here, was there? She hoped not…

Mina looked around as she now jogged towards the strange sounds. It obviously wasn't anywhere near the path, so she kept her eyes attached to the trees and bushes. She thought she saw someone moving to her left. She stopped and looked. It appeared and disappeared again.

Mina tip-toed over to the side of the path, hoping to find whatever was disturbing her without notice. No such luck.

"Oh look, they have an ally." A man in ripped and filthy clothing glanced up at Mina, who clenched her fists.

"Who is 'they'?" She threateningly edged to the two men, who didn't budge. Actually, they smiled.

"You mean a short old man and a girl about your size?"

Mina's eyes widened.

"Where are they?" One of the men held a hand up in defense and rolled his eyes. Mina tilted her head.

"Please. They're right here." Mina followed the man past the next few trees. She gasped when she saw Mukai squirming with cloths and ropes tightened around his body. She nearly died when she saw Taki fallen over unconscious in the same hostage condition as Mukai. How could they have taken her down so easily? Mina's eyes watered and her teeth smacked together. She wheeled around and spun Scarlet at the first man, hoping to knock him into the tree that Taki lay under. Success.

The man groaned and gripped Scarlet. Mina glared deeply. No way was he getting away with this. She twirled her weapon so the part he held was released, but the other end (the fearless blade part) was brought across his face. Quickly.

Mina stood straight and glared at the other man, who stared at his friend. He was dead on the ground, his face now scarred by a reckless rod. Mina lowered her head.

"Which one of you did this to her?"

The man whimpered and ran as fast as he could to the path. Mina yelled in anger and, without having to think, snatched one of Taki's daggers that stuck to a tree and flung it in the man's direction, hitting perfectly. He fell to the ground, dead instantly. Mina turned to Mukai and freed him, then stared at Taki. Mukai rubbed his wrists were the ropes had burned him.

"Well, aren't you going to untie her?"

The girl said and did nothing. Mukai raised an eyebrow and leaned over Taki, beginning to untie her as well. Mina gazed at Taki, wondering what would have happened to her if Taki hadn't been fighting alone. Which reminded her…

"Mukai… what happened?"

Mukai looked over his shoulder.

"I was saved because Taki threatened these men. They seemed to be quite dangerous, especially to me. But once she tried attacking them after catching them, they reflected her attacks with the daggers she had used to catch them in the first place. A brave young one, she is."

He nodded towards the second dagger that remained in a tree. Cloth of the same shirt one of the men wore hung from it. Mina stood and took it. What if she had been there?


	9. RB: Chapter 9

Mukai smiled every now and then at the sight in front of him. Mina held Taki as close to her as she could. She gently tapped Taki's face with a wet rag at times, but the time space between these times grew more and more. Mina's eyes were becoming very heavy, and Taki's presence against her body was so… relaxing. Was she returning the warrior's feelings?

She couldn't answer the question. Not because she didn't know the answer, but because her head fell limply on Taki's shoulder, her eyes finally closing. Mukai soon fell asleep as well.

This seemed to be an on/off switch. Taki's eyes began fluttering the second Mina's breath began spreading over her neck. She examined her surroundings, trying to figure out what happened. Then of course, she saw whose arms were wrapped around her, and her mouth opened in shock and hatred. The nerve…

Taki stopped her thoughts. She was in Mina's arms. What did that mean, exactly? It confused Taki, and because of her discomfort, it made her angry. How selfish can you get?

Taki wondered what she was supposed to do. Apparently something had happened between either Mukai or Mina and the two men. Taki looked down her armor. Both weapons were in their places. So obviously… Mina had done something to get them away. She looked at the girl's beautiful, peaceful face.

Now, how could you stay mad at her after what she did? Taki's voice entered her head with a scolding and taunting tone. Taki shook her head and stared at Mina once again, then dared to move closer to her. It gave her a feeling, no, a temptation. She lifted her head and kissed Mina, instantly waking her.

Mina blinked as Taki pulled away. The girls stared at each other silently. Sunset light rested on their faces. After quite some time, Mina slowly lifted a hand to her lips and softly touched them. There was no sound around them, and there were no disturbances from Mukai. Mina thought for a minute about what to do.

Without a word, she leaned down and pressed her lips on Taki's, smiling through the kiss.

Taki smiled right back.


	10. RB: Chapter 10

"They're both idiots. Let them do what they want. I'll find Sophitia. I know she isn't…" Yunsung couldn't finish his sentence. He lost someone to a lesbian. That was just great. If anyone else found out, it wouldn't be good. He sighed as he slowly walked in the direction they'd come in. He had no choice but to go back. As always, an inner voice reached his brain.

"So that's it then. You're going to leave, without making either of them pay for how they treated you? Who knows what they're doing right now! You have to go back there."

Yunsung halted in his tracks. This made him think. He could probably take down either of them if he really wanted to. But that was just the issue. Did he really? It wasn't just that he liked Mina. He hardly did, actually. He just hated being treated like a kid.

He turned.

* * *

Mukai was alone. Taki had suggested they tell him that they were going to chat about their differences. He said he understood. But he knew himself that wasn't what they were doing. And the old man was right. 

Mina forgot all about Yunsung right then and there. All about the night she'd slept with him, and all about his kisses. It was Taki's moment now. And damn, she out kissed Yunsung by miles.

It had taken a while for either of them to get used to it, but once they were comfortable, they went at it like it was going to save their life.

Taki's hands had a firm grip on Mina's arms, while Mina's hands slipped and slid around Taki's back, neck, shoulders, etc. Too bad Yunsung isn't here, Mina laughed in her mind. He'd get a kick out of this.

There was mostly stillness around them. Even they hardly made noise. Except for a tiny problem.

"You're both heartless."

The girls turned to look at the fire-headed man. Mina smirked, but Taki seemed angry. She was impatient and had no time for whatever the man wanted to do. So she got straight to the point.

"What do you want?" Yunsung rolled his eyes.

"You're such an idiot. Why is it that I try to spend the best time with Mina, and a couple of days later, she's with some other chick? Huh? What did I do to deserve being dumped for a girl, Mina?"

"You're twisting this in so many directions, Yunsung. Do you not remember that you pretty much forced me to do what you did?"

"Yes, and not to mention you came out of nowhere and started what you call a relationship."

"Both of you be quiet. Let's just finish this by doing what we do best, eh?"

Mina and Taki exchanged glances. This could be interesting. They nodded at Yunsung.

"Fine. Mina, retrieve your weapons. I'll hold him off long enough." Taki placed each hand on a weapon, ready to spring into action. Mina jumped into the trees and leapt from branch to branch in the direction of the campsite they'd stopped at earlier that evening.

She silently went to the tree where she left her rod, being sure she didn't wake Mukai, grabbed it, and heard clashing. Taki had already started her battle…

"You… took away… my… chance with… Mina!" Yunsung thrashed his sword at Taki, only getting blocks and a couple of scratches back. Taki sighed. Where was Mina? This would be so much easier if she were here. Yunsung had a healthy energy to him; this was getting harder than Taki thought. He must be really angry…

"Knock it off!" Mina sped through branches and lunged at Yunsung. He took his eyes off of Taki and brought White Storm up to block Scarlet. Both clashed loudly. Mina and Taki stood side by side, already panting. As was Yunsung, but he seemed to have more energy. And of course he had to be retarded about it.

"Seems like neither of you are a match for me, huh? Five years younger than you, who doesn't even have her weapon when she should, which gives me a head start anyway. And sadly, eleven years younger than you, who steals girls and can't fight."

Taki couldn't take it anymore. Her temper got the best of her. Mekki-Maru and Rekki-Maru were thrashed at Yunsung, shutting him up and slicing his cheeks on each side. He raised a hand to his face, touching the blood. His head was lowered but his eyes were on Taki. They went to Mina, then back to Taki.

Yunsung screamed loudly and threw his hand at Taki, flicking blood in her eyes. She cried in pain and dropped her weapons, reaching for her eyes. Yunsung went to throw his sword into her body, but failed, as the sword went into Mina's instead.

Mina's eyes shut tight and her fists were even tighter as White Storm made its way through her body and out of her back's skin. Taki looked the tip of the sword in front of her. She breathed heavily in anger at Yunsung, who grinned. No, his plan hadn't gone how he wanted it to. But how better to make Taki suffer than to watch her lover die?

Mina, trembling in hatred and pain, grabbed Yunsung's arm. He growled and pulled the sword from her body, making her fall forward. Taki slowly got up as Mina held her stomach. Filled with pure rage now, Taki leapt at Yunsung, grabbing his sword, twirling around him, and before Yunsung knew it, his own sword was at his throat from behind.

"Disappointing, isn't it, Yunsung?" Taki whispered his hear, her lips brushing against it. Yunsung shivered and glared over his shoulder. The girl smiled tauntingly and pressed the weapon further into Yunsung's neck. He gritted his teeth.

"Go ahead and do it already."

Taki snorted.

"With pleasure."

Yunsung dropped to the ground no more than two seconds later, blood dripping now from both the sword and its master. Mina looked away from the pained eyes staring at her. Taki kicked his body away and kneeled in front of Mina, checking her wound.

"You're alright?" She placed a hand on the side of Mina's face, wanting an honest but hopefully positive answer. Mina smiled and nodded. Taki helped the girl up carefully and slowly and looked at her wound again. She was in no condition to walk; no matter what pain she did or didn't feel right now. She easily picked Mina up in her arms and began walking to their campsite.

* * *

I apologize that my chapters are getting a bit shorter. Ideas are loosening, and I'm not sure where to put what, so my updating may become delayed. 


	11. RB: Chapter 11

"I knew the kid was trouble. He deserved what he got." Mukai stretched and yawned. Taki was finishing up on bandaging Mina's leg. When Taki had wrapped her cloths around Mina's stomach, Mina had complained that it made her outfit look incomplete. Taki, after putting up a fight of why it mattered, finally gave in and wrapped the left over bandages around the upper part of Mina's thighs.

Night had passed quickly. Dawn sunlight shined upon the ground and trees, casting shadows over the three sitting in the middle of them all. Taki sighed and sat back, complete with her handiwork. Mina smiled sheepishly, a bit guilty that she'd been a bit selfish after what they'd been through. Taki smiled back, apparently not minding the unspoken thoughts. She lay next to Mina, curling up beside her and placing a hand lightly over her stomach. Mina put hand over Taki's and stared through the branches of the pines above them.

Surprisingly, Mukai agreed to the girls' request of taking a day off. At first, the only one who didn't approve of the suggestion was Mina, knowing that she was the cause of it. Actually, Mukai had talked her into it, insisting that she needed rest, not to mention probably some alone time with Taki. The man left after the first couple of hours sitting in the clearing, stating he would keep a look out. Oh the irony, huh?

Mina was swiftly in a deep slumber, Taki still protectively (and with full pleasure) holding the girl. This gave Taki to think about the night before.

It was definitely unlike Yunsung to attack the two girls the way he had. Before, he'd seemed to be an innocent, immature kid. Last night… he acted vicious and brutal. It had been completely unnecessary. Not to mention that he'd not gotten along with Mina before, and as Taki understood, it was because of their age difference that their so called friendship was as unfriendly as Taki and Ivy's. Not for the same reasons, but the point was proven.

Now why Yunsung had wanted to kill the two girls, Taki couldn't understand. An eighteen year old with status of Yunsung didn't seem the type to seek bloodthirsty revenge. It was almost as if Yunsung had wanted to just kill Mina in the first place.

Taki gasped, new thoughts entering her mind. The sudden movement in her body caused Mina to stir. Covering her mouth, Taki refrained from slapping her forehead and made a mental note to prevent from being so jerky. Mina looked up at Taki, who uncovered her mouth and smiled.

"Sorry if I woke you." She thought for a second. "I'm also sorry for what happened last night. You didn't deserve it, and it caused the death of someone very young. It shouldn't have happened…" Taki gasped again as Mina lifted her head, forcing their mouths to touch. Taki raised an eyebrow and smiled as Mina sat down again.

"I see you're feeling better."

"Taki, I'm fine. Don't get me wrong, the pierce hurt like bloody hell, but I've been through worse. Don't you dare start treating me like a kid." She gave a playful grin. "Why don't you start treating me like you love me?"

"Like I love you?"

Mina rolled her eyes. "I swear…"

She knocked Taki back so she only leaned on her elbows. Mina leaned over and pressed her lips against Taki's once more, this time with a little more force and power. Taki didn't hesitate to kiss back, but when Mina immediately slid her tongue between Taki's lips, she suddenly became unsure. However, Mina, obviously ignoring the pain of her wound, acted as a fearless host. She grabbed Taki's arms and pulled her off of the ground, but never releasing the kiss. No, the ground wouldn't do for Mina's plans.

Taki was stunned when Mina's hands found their way up to Taki's chest, sliding down to her hips and around to rest on her back. Taki, taking the given hint, placed her hands on Mina's hips and pulled her lover against her body. They staggered against a tree, Taki leaning against it and Mina leaning against Taki. It was perfect…

Mina grinned through their remaining kiss and slyly snatched Taki's hands and placed them at her chest, nearly revealed anyway by her outfit.

Taki didn't like the sudden command and tried to pull away, but Mina refused to let go. Suddenly getting a certain chill in her spine, Taki relaxed and willingly brushed her hands across Mina's breasts, loving the feeling of it. Mina gave a slight moan into Taki's mouth. Hearing her lover's approval, Taki let go of Mina's lips and trailed her tongue down the side of Mina's chin and onto her neck. Mina, of course, moaned again as Taki offered a slight nibble at her skin.

After a chain of experiencing kisses and feelings, the girls soon found each other no longer against a tree, but atop of the leaves and pine straw below them. Shamefully, but satisfyingly, their clothing was in a separate spot from the girls. Realizing their exhaustion, the two of them settled on spending the rest of the day in their sleeping bag. When Mukai returned, he did nothing but shake his head and put the girls' clothing in his travel bag.

* * *

Another short little chapter. But for whoever actually reads my fanfictions, I'll brainstorm a bit more. Or I'll cheat and ask people. Whatever works. So far I'm think to keep a goal of thirty chapters from here and see what happens. Once again, thanks to Mike for being my best and only supporter.


	12. RB: Chapter 12

_Author's Note:_ Yes, I'll admit it. I'd almost given up on this fanfiction. It just wasn't really going anywhere. But just recently, as you all should know, the new Harry Potter book came out, which snapped my attention to realize the fact that I haven't actually read a book in a long time. And since the movies started coming out, I'd stopped reading the books. So I sat down with the second book (seeing as how I've read the first at least two to three times) and began reading. I am now halfway through the last book, so yay for me. Anyway, I sat down at my computer one day and thought, "I haven't worked on a fic in a while." And when I opened this one, I was stumped like I'd been before. Words flowed into my head and sneaked into my fingers, and eureka! Here's another chapter!

I should warn you, though. This chapter is much longer, containing at least 2000 more words than all the rest. However, I believe this to be the best chapter yet. So setting aside my apologies to those who did in fact read this fanfiction, let's move on, shall we?

* * *

Taki, being the first to wake, unzipped the sleeping bag she was in. But before getting out, she looked around. Mukai was nowhere to be seen, not to mention the sky had grown a bit more orange than she last remembered. Finally, her eyes settled on Mina. Taki, placing a hand on her own forehead, tried to remember how they'd gotten into the sleeping bag. Her eyes blinked open.

Oh…

She grinned at the snoozing girl next to her. What a playful character Mina had… and who knew she was so romantic?

Taki quickly rolled away from the sleeping bag, snatched the travel bag next to her and dashed behind a tree. She still didn't know where Mukai was, and she wasn't taking any chances. She dressed as rapidly as she could, soon after retrieving Mina's clothes and pulling them out. She came out from behind the tree and put the bag down, as well as the clothes next to Mina. She then let her gaze fall on her companion's face once more.

Why had they both suddenly let loose of each other's feelings? Was it all because Yunsung had traveled with them? Or had they just wanted to let them out in the first place?

Now that she thought about it, Taki didn't know when her feelings for Mina had started.

She knew for sure that they had been rivals before this journey had started, so what caused the feelings, and why did they stick?

Taki sighed and rubbed her forehead. It _was_ because of Yunsung. Because now that she really pondered over it, more and more did her feelings start to disappear, just as Yunsung had from the group.

So was it just lust?

Mina gave a slight whisper in her sleep, and Taki sat back on her palms as she watched the girl's eyes flutter open. Yawning, Mina rubbed her face with her left hand and sat up on her right. She looked at Taki and returned the smile she saw.

"Morning, m'love." Taki nearly frowned as Mina leaned over to give her a quick kiss. She leaned back and looked around.

"Where's Mu-"

"Don't know."

Mina blinked. Uh huh…

"Um, hold on. I'm gonna go get dressed."

Taki nodded and waited as Mina vanished behind some rather large bushes. When she re-appeared, the girls sat and did nothing. Literally. Mina leaned back and watched imaginary birds fly by while Taki kept a look out for Mukai, who didn't seem to be anywhere. Finally, it began to concern her. She glanced at Mina and was immediately caught by the girl's eye. Taki put a hand behind her head and sighed.

"I don't know where he went. How long were we asleep?"

"Are you angry at me?"

Taki blinked. Where the hell had that come from? She groaned and pulled up her knees, her forehead resting on both of them. Mina's eyes settled on the ground with a soft yet hurt look in them. Taki could already sense this, and she refused to look back up, so she spoke in the position she sat in.

"I'm going to ask you a question that will be hard to answer."

"Shoot."

"Do you have feelings for me?"

"Of course I have feelings. What else is there to have? Now what kind of feelings are we talking about here?"

Taki smiled, even though Mina couldn't see it. That was a quicker answer than she'd expected. She asked another.

"Did you have feelings for Yunsung?"

"Absolutely not."

Taki went against her self-promise and lifted her head only an inch to look at Mina, who looked right back. She finally sighed and stood up, forcing Taki to lift her head higher to continue to stare.

"It's not something I want to discuss."

"I think we need to."

"Well so far I haven't liked much of your thinking."

"Explain."

"You killed him damn it…"

"What does that have to do with me 'thinking'? And what do you care? I thought you just told me you had no feelings for him."

"I didn't know who I had feelings for."

"So what did you do? Flip a coin?"

"No!"

"Then tell me how the hell you chose between us."

"I didn't!" Mina's face flushed with red-hot anger. Taki gave a 'hmph' and turned her head away, getting up as well. Mina rolled her eyes.

"I didn't. I knew you were there that night." Taki raised an eyebrow and tilted her head more towards Mina, who continued.

"I didn't see you, and I didn't hear you. In fact, I wasn't even awake. But I dreamt about you. It was a brilliant dream of Yunsung and I in the same spot, and it was almost as if the dream was mocking our actions, for we'd fallen asleep in my dream as well. But then I saw you. You stood to the left of us, peering through the leaves of a bush. "

Taki crossed her arms. Mina was right, but Taki was starting to get impatient as to where this was going.

"What does that have to do with anyth –"

"I fell in love with you after that dream."

Taki's head lifted and her arms dropped instantly. Mina didn't take her eyes off of the girl in front of her as she spoke.

"I don't know what happened. It was like everything I was dreading slammed into me at once, and in the process, it was curing my care for why I didn't want feelings for you in the first place."

"Please, explain."

"Taki, this is _wrong_, you and I. I know it is, and you do as well. What are the others to say when we return to our home?"

"Don't say that."

"What are we supposed to tell them when we have to explain our relationship…"

"Mina, stop it…"

"When they ask why Yunsung isn't back…"

"_Mina_…"

"When they ask –"

"Mina."

She stopped. Not because of Taki, but because she'd broken down crying. Taki bit her lip. She wasn't good at this. She really wasn't, but she had to try. Reaching her arms out, Taki took Mina and held her tightly in a hug. Mina, at first, just stood there accepting it. Finally, she pulled back and brushed her tears away. Embarrassed, she looked down at her feet.

"I'm sorry… that was foolish of me." Taki smiled.

"Nah. Look, the way I see it, we have two choices when we get back. We can ignore them all and not tell them – don't look at me like that. Or we can tell them all and hope that they accept it. If not, then they can go like Yunsung."

Mina laughed at this and hugged Taki, who hugged back.

"Thanks. But, I can't help but feel that something's going to go horribly wrong."

"Well it will if you keep saying that."

"Sorry…"

"Let's find Mukai, hm? "

With a nod, Mina let go and helped in packing up everything that Mukai didn't already have with him… wherever he was.

Once on the road again – it had taken them at least ten minutes to find it from where they were – they began searching high and low for Mukai. They took turns leaping from trees, using branches to launch and land, while the other remained on the ground, calling for Mukai and peeking around trees and in bushes. Finally, Mina sighed and jumped down from the oak branch she had been squatting on.

"This is hopeless. For all we know, we could be going in the wrong directi –"

She froze. Taki heard it too – there was a fierce rustling to the side. Slowly, Taki turned her head in the direction she'd heard the noise, and she heard it again, the sound of something disturbed. Taki carefully reached down her side, resting three fingers on two small hunting knives that were wrapped tightly by what looked like white tape to the side of her shin. Squinting her eyes in focus and straining to listen for another sign of whatever was in front of them, Taki tightened her grip on the knives, but only a little. She waited patiently, being sure not to make a sound and gestured for Mina to do the same.

After what seemed like hours, the noise came again, and Mina's eyes darted to Taki, whose eyes seemed to be going insane over the small scene in front of her. Finally, she smirked and pulled the knives from her legs – apparently she was armed on both sides – and released them in front of her, arms across her face. The knives sped to a distant tree surrounded by bushes, small and large. The knives pierced the tree evenly, and the two women heard a frantic shriek. Without hesitation, Taki lunged forward, followed by a dashing Mina with the same speed. In no more than five seconds did Taki pick up a creature by the back of the neck, holding in the air for Mina to see.

It was at least three feet tall, with skin like that of a pickle. It was an unattractive green, with bumps here and there, which made you wonder if they were really _everywhere_. It had small beady eyes, of which you could hardly see the white. Its nose was long and abnormally large, resembling a pickle itself. A great tooth stuck from behind its lower lip, obviously having no choice. And to Taki and Mina's even greater disgust, it wore nothing but a brown and ragged vest with several patches to hold it together.

"What _are_ y –?" Mina began, but was stopped by a flashed look of warning from Taki.

"Who are you?" Taki was careful to the sensitivity of a being she'd never seen the likes of before. It squirmed even more, then grunted hopelessly and dangled limply from Taki's grip.

"I'm called Takuan."

His voice was deep and slightly growl-ish, but very clear. Mina sniggered. Taki ignored her and gave the troll-looking creature a good over-look.

"Really." It wasn't a question. It was more of a doubtful statement, and Takuan noticed this. He gave a sort of an odd glare. But then, Taki thought, basically any look from this thing would look odd.

"So. What is it about me that you find misleading? Do you think I am in disguise or something?" Taki shrugged.

"You tell me."

"I do not take orders from the likes of humans," Takuan sneered. It was clear to Taki that this was no creature of sunshine. "Now, would you kindly put me on solid ground?"

"Just after you explain to us why we found you in the same bush we recognized rustling in." Mina peered over the top of the bush, only to find a pouch that looked like a travel bag. Taki nodded for Mina to pick it up, and as she did so, Takuan made an even bigger fuss.

"No, no! That is not to be human-handled! Put it down, I say!" Taki held her arm out even further, looking as though she'd just tasted something very bitter. Mina kneeled on the ground and poured out the contents of the bag: two small vials; one empty and one containing an ugly yellow-green liquid, both topped with small corks, a rolled up piece of parchment, a black leather book no larger than Mina's hand, a very small pouch, seventeen diminutive black balls, each with an inch of thin string coming from the top, and a pair of half-moon shaped spectacles.

Mina lifted her head at Taki, one eyebrow raised. This wasn't a normal collection of items for anyone – not even someone as strange as Takuan – to be carrying. Taki, finally having become sick of Takuan squirming and struggling, dropped him to the ground. Quickly scrambling to get up, Takuan began gathering his belongings. But before he could grab the last item, the pouch, Mina snatched it up, slightly interested. Takuan whimpered and jumped up and down below Mina's hands. The pouch's opening was tied together with a simple piece of string, apparently attached to the back of it, Mina realized as she pulled apart the loose knot.

Holding out one hand, she used the other to dump even stranger items onto it. Taki raised her eyebrows at the sight she saw before her. These items were things you would find in an old trash bag: a long piece of black string, several pieces of glass shattered so well that it would be nearly impossible to cut yourself (Takuan yelped in a panicked tone as some pieces of the glass tumbled over Mina's hand, stumbling to catch them all), a tiny pink rock, and – Mina squealed at the sight of it – a dead mouse. But what peeked Taki's interest the most was the rock. As Mina gathered herself again after the sigh – and touch – of a dead rodent, Taki took the little stone from her hands, holding it in her own.

It was extremely smooth, as if it has a coat of glassy protection. The shade was as light as a sunset's tone of pink, and brown and black dots were spotted everywhere on it. Taki didn't think this to be an ordinary rock. Not just from its appearance, but because of the feeling that overwhelmed her once it lay in her palm. She didn't notice Takuan growing impatient at her side, finally having collected everything but the rock again.

"Yes, yes. That's all well and fine, but if you don't mind –?"

Taki found it difficult to take her eyes off the rock, but when she did so, her mind seemed to click into action once more.

"Oh, right. Sorry." She dropped the rock in Takuan's open pouch, which was quickly closed and sealed once there. She met Mina's eyes, which were staring at Taki with a deep amount of question. Not wanting to look back, Taki shifted her gaze to Takuan's bag.

"So… what is all that stuff anyway?" Takuan seemed to find this amusing.

"'Stuff' she says. Well, if you must know, I am a Gremble."

Taki and Mina exchanged looks, then stared at Takuan with confusion in their expressions. Giving a slight sigh, Takuan shook his head.

"Ah, yes. I would not expect two humans such as yourselves to know what a Gremble is. Allow me to explain. I come from a slightly different country than you do. In fact, it is not even charted. My kind does not like to be known of widely, hence the fact that you do not know what a Gremble is, and much more, you do not know what my kind is. You see, I am a goblin, but not of the kind you know. We are born on our unknown island, and are on rare occasion allowed to leave it. However, Grembles are special in our specific breed. We are born with the gift of seeing either into the past, present, or future, but never more than one. I myself can foresee the past." He paused, clearing his throat slightly. Taki and Mina had taken seats in front of him, their eyes not leaving Takuan's face. Both had forgotten completely about Mukai and finding him. After seeing that they had no comments, Takuan shuffled nervously in his place and continued.

"Yes, well. I suppose you're wondering why I am here. Well, you see, Grembles are given special jobs that normal goblins could not possibly do without the talent of a Gremble. I myself am a messenger, and what you could probably call a spy as well."

"So that's it then," Taki muttered. "You've been spying on us?" Takuan nodded slowly.

"Indeed. I had no choice. It was the job I was given to do."

"That still doesn't explain why you're here, though." Taki stopped. "Who of our group exactly were you spying on?" Takuan chuckled.

"What do you think?"

"Mukai."

"Exactly. As you well know, Mukai has been sent on a quest to be guided by you two, making sure he gets there as safe as –"

"It was you," Mina interrupted. Taki and Takuan looked at the girl who hadn't spoken in the past ten minutes. Taki tilted her head.

"What was him?"

"The Unknown Leaders are your kind, aren't they?" Mina questioned seriously. Takuan shrugged.

"In a way, yes. Your kind has such of kings, emperors, and leaders. You must realize that we require leaders as well. No leaders, no laws, and no laws means chaos, which let me tell you, is never a wonderful thing in a land of goblins, especially of some who are gifted with strong powers."

"Do you have a name for these leaders?" Taki couldn't help but note a tone of impatience in Mina's voice, and Takuan apparently caught it too, for he snorted before answering.

"Well, those who know of them – such as Mukai – call them The Unknown Leaders. Our clan of goblins know them as the Souran."

"And what kind of mission did the Souran –" Takuan cleared his throat loudly, and Taki sighed. "Sorry. What kind of mission did The Unknown Leaders send Mukai on?"

"Mukai is a Gremble as well, and was to give a message to –"

"What?"

"Hm?"

"What is Mukai?"

Takuan gave Mina a strange look and said, "He is a Gremble."

Mina blinked several times, obviously unable to speak, so Taki took over for her.

"Would that mean that he's a goblin as well?"

"Of course… I thought you would have known that by our appearance."

"Mukai… Mukai has the appearance of a human…"

Takuan's eyes lit up at this news and turned to Mina, who was looking rather confused.

"So, you are telling me that Mukai looks like your own race?"

"Yes, very much so. You're the first goblin I've ever seen."

Takuan immediately stood and silently paced back and forth in front of Mina and Taki, who watched him tensely. Finally, Takuan stopped, looking at them with his head tilted.

"Where is he?"

Mina and Taki looked at each other with frantic expressions. They'd completely forgotten about Mukai and their search. They jumped to their feet and looked around as if he were going to pop out from behind one of the trees. Takuan shook his head and sighed.

"Part of your jobs as bodyguards –"

"_Shut it_."

Takuan stood speechless as Taki and Mina ran back to the path, looking down both ways. Takuan, still astonished at being directed at with such rudeness, followed. Mina took in an unnecessarily deep breath through her nose, using one hand to smooth her hair. Taki rubbed her forehead, her other hand on her hip. Takuan looked from Mina to Taki and back again.

"Well? Are we going to continue?"

The women looked over their shoulders at Takuan, who stood with his pack hanging over his shoulder. Taki, with a look as if she was searching for something on his face, turned completely to look at Takuan.

"You expect us to just drop our mission and head to… wherever we were going… with you instead? What's going to happen when we get there with no Mukai, but rather a goblin?" Takuan chuckled.

"Mukai will be there. I assure you. Trust me, please, and let us get moving?"

Taki and Mina looked at each other unknowingly, then with shrugs, picked up the bags they'd dropped before finding Takuan and headed in the direction they'd been going in. For the rest of the day, no one spoke a word. Takuan perhaps because he hardly spoke anyway, but Mina and Taki were still unsure about guarding a goblin now instead of the normal – Taki had second thoughts about this description – human being they had once been traveling with.

Very soon – seeing as how the girls hadn't moved along until mid-day – the sky began to turn a light shade of pink, then darker, accompanied with a lovely tone of orange, then more to purple, then at last a nightly blue. Unlike Mukai, Takuan insisted that they persisted traveling no matter how dark it got. Mina and Taki, being used to sleep in the middle of the forest (of which now they were wondering if it was enchanted or not; there seemed to be no end to it) became quite grouchy at this newb of a traveler, but kept walking nonetheless.

The next couple days seemed to go by slower than ever, what with both Yunsung and Mukai gone, both just within three days. Taki and Mina had taken to whispering to each other about the lunatic behind them and how – dare they say it – they missed Mukai. Yunsung would have been nicer company as well, as opposed to a goblin that apparently never slept and never ate. Usually, the only sounds heard from the girls were huge yawns and growling stomachs. They did not complain, however. They'd heard enough lecturing of how the goblins could take long journeys and go days, weeks, months without food or water. Not able to see how this was possible, Mina had been the first to speak up, only to be smacked in the head by Taki, who didn't want to hear anymore about how goblins overpowered humans.

Taki, aside from her desperate need of sleep and food, couldn't get her mind off of the rock. It was Yunsung and Mina all over again; she wasn't able to think of anything but it, and wondered why it existed, what it did, and why Takuan had it. More than anything, she wanted to hold it again. She longed to feel that strength she felt the first time. It was almost as if she owned Mina, Takuan, the rock, the forest around them. But when Takuan had taken it back, the feeling was gone. She felt weak and small, which was something she'd never felt before, which made her wonder now if this was a good thing.

But despite all this, she wanted that rock again, and refused to let lack of rest and hunger get in her way of retrieving it. She ignored comments from Takuan, and conversation starters from Mina, only devising a plan on how to sneak the rock back.


	13. RB: Chapter 13

Well hello there! I'm not as dead as you think I am. I had a tiny bit more of writer's block, but I think I might be over it. I have the basic plot running through my head. Let's just hope it doesn't run completely through and all the way out; I don't think I can handle losing more ideas! I've noticed I have a couple new readers for the fic, which I'm very happy about.

This chapter is mostly thought. Sorry, I know that's the boring stuff, but some of it is kind of important for the storyline. It'll be quick and painless, I promise!

* * *

There wasn't a thing in the world Mina wanted more than for Taki to shut up about the rock. There had come several times where she'd almost hit her for bringing up the subject to the point where she had to sit on her hands and smile ingenuously at her chattering companion, talking nineteen to the dozen like there was no tomorrow. Oh if only that were true, though.

Mina found it more enjoyable to walk with Takuan and listen to him talk about Grembles, as disgusting as it could be sometimes. She wondered why she'd never heard of these creatures before, though. They were rather interesting at times. But of course, Mina would rather die than tell his to Takuan and boost his irritatingly flamboyant attitude.

The three were now closer than expected to Taki and Mina's first intentional locality. They'd learned that apparently, Takuan knew Mukai very well, and could very well be a key to finding what had happened to Mukai.

It was the first quiet night they'd had for a while. There was no sound except the crackling of the small fire in front of them, and the slight snoozing of Takuan next to them. In a way, it was kind of romantic for them to be almost alone together like this, but then again it was kind of uncomfortable. Taki, as usual, had her eyes on the bag Takuan held tightly in his grip as he slept. Mina leaned against a tree behind Taki, arms crossed, wondering why they were guarding a Gremble now and why their intended mission had gotten so mixed up.

Mina jumped when Taki snapped her fingers. It hadn't been very loud, but it was startling in the unremitting quiet. Mina rolled her eyes, however. She knew what was coming.

"I've got it."

Yep. That was it. Mina sighed and looked at Taki, waiting for her to go on. She'd become so much less mature than Mina in the past few days, and Mina wondered how long this would go on.

"Why don't I just switch the bag with another one or something?"

Mina groaned. The way she'd said "or something" made her wonder what Taki was really thinking. Mina was also kind of disappointed with Taki. She hadn't thought of that idea before? It'd crossed Mina's mind the first time Taki had told her about her plans to get the rock, along with several other ideas. But the last thing she wanted to do was encourage the fact that Taki was going to cause more drama on this trip. So, all she did for now was shrug, telling Taki to do whatever she wanted.

Taki looked around, as if another bag that looked the same as Takuan's was going to appear out of nowhere. Mina wondered what Taki was going to do with it if she happened to get one. Taki suddenly slapped her forehead.

"Duh! Why don't I just take the rock out now?"

Mina wanted to kill herself.

"Taki, that rock is making you sound ridiculous. I don't know what you're thinking, but it can't be good. Besides, wouldn't he notice? He checks that bag every day, and it's not like we can just take it and run off with it; we need him for the mission. Besides," she added, "the rock isn't necessary for this mission, and we need Takuan more than it. What's gotten you so interested in this stupid rock, Taki?" The look she got from Taki instantly made her regret saying it.

"The rock isn't stupid, Mina. That thing is powerful, and I want it. If you could have felt the wave of primacy I did, you'd understand. But for now, keep out of it, okay?" She turned back to Takuan and began to ease over to him, intending to take the bag from him. Mina stared at the back of Taki's head. Taki reached over, and as Mina had expected, stopped when Takuan grabbed her wrist. He sat up, his tight grip on the bag and her wrist never loosening.

"The girl makes sense, Taki. You would be wise to listen to her." Taki had heard enough already. She was impatient, especially for something she already had to wait for.

"That's it. Both of you are being too stupid over this rock. Why can't I have it, hm? Why are you so possessive over it? Is there something to it that I'm not supposed to have?" Mina rolled her eyes again. _Duh_. Damn. Takuan saw Mina do this and sighed.

"You should really listen to your friend. She knows what she is talking about."

"She didn't say anything."

"Look at her, Taki."

Taki hesitated, but turned to look at Mina, who looked back with her chin lifted. Taki tilted her head and looked back at Takuan.

"Are you saying… she knows something I don't?"

"Well right now, she knows a lot that you do not."

"About the rock?"

"In a way, yes."

"You can't have it because it's basically life-threatening to humans."

Both Takuan and Taki looked up at Mina, who had finally spoken. Takuan slowly nodded.

"You are absolutely right, Mina. This rock is made from Grembles' fingernails, making it indestructible. The power you felt was a surge of energy from a Gremble's mind. When a stone like this is made, the makers mean for it to be used by Grembles and Grembles only. Understand?"

Taki was holding her head in both hands, listening to every word he said, but just barely. She couldn't believe she'd let a stone take over her willpower like that. She _knew_ better than that. A highly trained and skilled warrior such as herself should have never let something like that happen. What was wrong with her? She slowly looked up at the two in front of her. They both had perplexed expressions, still secretly unsure about what had come over the girl who had seemed so in charge only days ago. Taki wondered if they were more worried about her or worried for their own safety. She didn't blame them if they were timorous because of her. To be honest, she wouldn't feel comfortable around someone so neurotic over a simple little stone, given that she didn't know that it wasn't so simple after all. Not sure what to say, Taki went with whatever words decided to come out, hoping the tone was right.

"I… I'm sorry." Mina raised an eyebrow. Taki shook her head. She couldn't think straight; the eloquent look Mina was giving her blocked all thought abilities, so she looked at Takuan. She regretted it at once, though, for it was his look that had a more intense, if you will, "haha" touch to it.

"Okay, look. I know obsessing over the stone was a ridiculous thing for me to do." She looked at Mina again to see if this was a good start. She felt a wave of relief when she got a nod of approval from the girl, but noticed that her eyes said it wasn't enough, so Taki continued. "Takuan, I refuse to let something as simple as a stone, no matter how complex it's features are, affect my mission tactics. Mina, I give you permission to do whatever you feel you must to keep me in a civilized form if I attempt to obtain it again." Mina nodded, her elbows now on her knees and her fingers linked, her lips slightly resting on the one closest to her. Takuan gave what Taki thought was a smile, so she smiled back. Mina felt that they shouldn't delay after a moment like that for too long, despite the moon still lingering in the sky. Gods knew how long they would stay there; there was too much of an awkward yet comfortable aura, so she stood up and stretched. Takuan gave her a curious look, but took the hint and also stood. Taki sighed; she obviously knew that she had been the cause of their sudden necessity to leave. She wasn't too happy about it, either. The night was nearly over, perhaps by three or so hours, but she still didn't like traveling in the dark. It brought up the more bedlam than she liked.

Apparently, Takuan had taken Mina's hint, but wanted to take charge of it. He insisted that they move faster then before, just for the sake of time. Mina and Taki could have sworn their letter had said three months. What was the sudden rush? It had only been a week. Not that Taki was complaining; the sooner their mission was over, the sooner she and Mina could settle down and discuss their plans. Take action, more like. She was impatient and eager, and wanted more of what she'd gotten a taste of the night after Yunsung's murder.

Taki began to wonder if Mina's feelings were just as strong. She didn't seem to be showing much of them lately. Of course, they were in the presence of Takuan all day and night, so they didn't have much choice other than to keep their relationship private. After all, the mission was now strictly all about business; when they had been with Mukai, they'd learned that he didn't care what they do, and vice versa, as long as each knew where the other was. Still, that didn't go so well. But now since they were with one of their mission requesters, they couldn't be distracted or out of focus. Then again, that hadn't gone so well either. Taki thought that maybe they weren't remembering well enough that this… _thing_ was someone who could probably catch them off guard and, by some eccentric chance, kill them both. Taki also began to wonder if Mina's lack of visible emotion was descent because of her impulsive fixation for the stone. That was probably it, too, because Taki noticed now that, as they walked behind the Gremble in front of them, Mina's hand bumped into hers. And it wasn't the kind where someone stumbles and a hand accidentally touches yours. It was more like she had purposely inched over so that they were walking even close to each other and, since their hands were the closest body parts from each person, their hands were the first to touch. Taki didn't want to look at Mina, so she waited for a second or two, then forced her eyes to break from the road she walked on, her gaze nearing Mina's face.

She got chills.

The look in Mina's eyes was a serious expression, but Taki knew that look. Not just from Mina, but from every experience of seeing that look. She recognized it as a deep, thoughtful look. And that could only mean one thing…

Taki chuckled to herself in her head and advanced to Mina, bumping her hand back. She even went so far as to slide her fingers around Mina's to the point where they were half-holding hands. She felt Mina shiver, and wondered if it had been her that had done it. Taki smirked at the thought and slid her hand all the way into Mina's hand. She couldn't see it, but she knew Mina was smiling.

* * *

That wasn't so bad, was it? Like I said, I know there was a lot of thought going on in this chapter, but it's as convenient as it is boring. I also realize that the chapter focused on Taki more than I had intended, but I felt that was a must. A lot of the earlier chapters had much more Mina-ness to them, so think of it as evening the story out.

Now, as for the next chapter, I think I owe it to Mike, who remains to be my number one read-and-reviewer, a nice, satisfying, well-deserved (get ready for it), **lemon chapter**! Yes, I've decided to take it to the next step with the two love birds. The setting isn't quite right yet, so I'll have to fix that somehow. Not quite sure yet. It shouldn't take too long, though. I'm trying to get this story over with so I can finish and refresh the other ones that look like crap.

See you soon!


	14. RB: Chapter 14

Here it is, minasan! The long awaited chapter. There's a time skip, I will say that much. But it's only because I am trying to get this fic done with. However, I tried to make up for it with details and, as you're aware of, the lemony goodness. And let's face it... you didn't click the M under rating for the hand-holding. ;)

This chapter has over twice as many words as the last one. I sat down and typed the last chapter, then thought to myself, "Why make anyone wait for a lemon?" So I wrote one. In an hour's time, I had the fourteenth chapter and the highpoint of the story (for most people) written and published. Yay for me! Okay, enjoy!

* * *

The next three weeks had been slow… very slow. In fact, Taki wondered if three months had already gone by. She didn't feel any closer to their destination than she'd felt on the bridge when first meeting Mukai. She knew one thing, though; the air was getting colder and daylight was getting shorter. The only upside was that Takuan was sure that they were only a few days away from reaching where they needed to be. Since he had obviously already been there, the two girls had no choice but to trust the Gremble in what he said.

This brings up another plus; Mina's fondness for Taki had begun to show again, and Taki knew their affection for each other was still strong, and more importantly it remained to be a secret. Taki was still disappointed about the fact that she and her lover had had no quality time to spend together. Even if they had the slightest opportunity to be alone, Takuan managed to appear out of no where and force the time they had alone and the time they had to travel to diverse, though he still didn't know about one of them. Still, Taki kept her invariable impatience at a safe distance from her actual actions, no matter how many times she felt like giving the Gremble a good blow in the face.

The three were now traveling in a much more open area, and they could sense a town or village nearby. Thank the Gods, too; the girls had been quite sick of being surrounded by trees day and night. The variety of animals that they spotted was in a wider range, and there weren't so many that you'd find in a forest. Taki swore she even saw a cat one of the first days they'd been out of the crowded area.

Finally, on the sixth day since they had come out in the open, so to speak, they spotted what appeared to be a small village. The closer they got to it, the more relaxed they felt. After entering it, however, their relaxation was turned into more of a comfortable feeling. If either Taki or Mina had had any homesickness whatsoever, it would have vanished, regardless of whether this village and their home had any similarities or not. The village was indeed small, and it was simple. The houses were made of old stone, and explicated how old the village was. The walls of the houses were all the same, as were the rooftops, which were made of what appeared to be the bark from a very sturdy breed of tree. Though the range around the village was wide and very open, there were fences of dogwood built as a small perimeter for the younger villagers' safety. Despite the village being far from the forest, there was no telling what kind of creatures or assassins could find the place.

Taki and Mina were actually fascinated by how well put the village was. Takuan, however, seemed unimpressed. Only after three comments of how ignorant he was did they realize that he had probably been through the village before, either to get to them or just for being a member of the Leaders.

The first thing they wanted to do was to find a place to stay, which they knew wouldn't be too difficult to do. A village like this couldn't hold many discourteous people. Taki and Mina were ever so grateful when they saw a building larger than the others – it actually looked like it had two stories – with a bar coming out from the stone above the door, on it hanging a sign that pictured a bed. It read "Nagusami Inn". They entered as soon as they reached it, overwhelmed by how warm it was kept. The inside of it was made completely of wood: wooden floors, wooden walls, wooden ceiling, along with a wooden bookshelf filled with what looked to be novels and atlases. The only non-lumber pieces of furniture were the welcoming sofa to the right and the unique plant next to it.

Takuan ignored the comforting air and walked quickly to the front desk – also made of wood – having to step on the flat, square box in front of it. This made Taki and Mina snicker, loudly enough for Takuan to hear. They quieted themselves immediately when he flashed an irritated look at them. No one seemed to be on the other side of the desk. Takuan looked around and spotted a dusty bell to his right. He reached for it, but his stubby little arms had more than trouble getting to it. Mina, still giggling about Takuan's height problem, reached over him and took the bell by the handle, giving it to the Gremble and receiving a mumble of thanks in return. He moved the bell so he held it by the handle and shook it a few times, the chime ringing through the silence. They waited a few seconds, and just before Takuan went to ring it again, they heard a squeaky, "I'm coming!"

A man only a few inches taller than Takuan ran from a room on the left side of the hallway behind the desk. He scurried as fast as his small legs could take him to the desk, and stepped on another step that was behind it. He appeared more excited than Takuan had hoped for. Taki's assumption was that he hadn't had a costumer in quite a while, much less more than one of them. His face was a physical reminder of Mukai; his cheeks were red to match his small nose. His eyes were surrounded by wrinkles, but even through them, a smiling face could be seen. He appeared to be close to – or in – the last decade of his life.

"Welcome to the Nagusami Inn! My name is Hougei. How may I be of help?" A bright, welcoming smile spread across the man's face. Takuan grunted.

"We need a room."

Taki and Mina looked at each other, then glared at Takuan. What did he think he was doing? Hell if they'd share a room with him! Taki decided to take action before Mina's mouth did. She moved up next to Takuan and smiled politely at the small man on the other side of the desk. He looked up at her, still smiling himself. She ignored the aggravated look she knew Takuan was giving her and put her hands on the edge of the desk.

"Excuse me, but I'd like to correct him by saying that we need two rooms, preferably far apart from each other." Mina tried not to snort at the hateful stare Takuan flashed at Taki, who was having a hard time laughing herself. Hougei, on the other hand, was absolutely clueless about the internal feud and nodded happily, obediently handing Taki two keys to two separate rooms. She noticed that one said 3A and the other said 7B and had to bite her lip to keep from mocking Takuan. Instead, she bowed respectfully – and gratefully – to Hougei, getting a small bow in return before the man darted back down the hallway. After he was gone, Takuan growled and snatched the key that said 3A, scowling at the girls as he took it. When he disappeared into his room (of which they could see clearly; the hallway leading to the rooms was parallel to the hallway Hougei had come from and gone to), the girls began to laugh. Just the mental repetition of Takuan's temper made their moods go up. They were still laughing after entering their room when it hit them both.

They were sharing a room together, completely alone.

To push aside the awkwardness they both started to feel, Taki looked in the very small room attached to the main one, which she found held a small bathtub. She was impressed by the modernization the inn had; the plumbing was a nice touch, not to mention the cleanliness. The rest of it was very simple, but very comfortable. The bed was big enough to fit three people, and in the corner of the room was a table attached to the wall with only three chairs. To the left of the table was a counter, on it being a large square hole, which the girls assumed to be a sink. Next to that was a board of the same size that was attached to the counter. A stove, possibly.

Mina sat on the corner of the bed, admiring the small details of the room, entirely grateful that they'd come across such a surprisingly lovely place to stay, as opposed to a ground covered in pine straw and bugs. She was examining the soft pliability of the pillows when she heard water running in the next room, and assumed Taki was taking a shower. Her insides squeezed at the thought, and she suddenly felt the most mischievous feeling she'd felt in a long time.

Without realizing what she was doing, Mina crept over to the door and pushed it open, but only slightly. Luckily, the bathtub was directly to the left of the door, so Mina could look through the crack to see it. Taki was lying in the tub, her eyes closed – thank the Gods – and the tub nearly full already. Mina grinned and opened the door just enough so she could slide in. She didn't bother closing it before she tiptoed over to the tub, leaning over the side of it. Though the abundant ripples in the water blurred Taki's body, Mina could see right through them, and sighed quietly to herself. Apparently it wasn't quiet enough, because Taki's eyes slowly opened. Her head moved back slightly so that she was looking at Mina. Any other day before their mission, she would have killed the girl, right then and there, not caring if her last sight was the naked body of her murderer. But tonight… tonight, _this_ was what she wanted, and Mina was giving a perfect start.

Without a word, Mina slipped off all her clothes, piece by piece, almost taunting Taki, like she wanted help doing it. Taki wanted to rip them all off and pull Mina into the tub herself, but she waited as patiently as she could. She'd waited almost a month, and she could wait another minute. Finally, Mina's clothes surrounded their owner's beautiful body, scattered on the floor. Taki moaned softly just at the sight of her. Mina smirked and walked over to the tub. Only then did she realize how small it was. The entire better for snuggling, Mina thought devilishly.

She put one leg over the side and around to the other side of Taki's body, lifting the other one as soon as it was steady and pulling it in too. She moved herself down so that her legs were on either side of Taki's stomach. Taki looked over Mina's body again and again, like she couldn't get enough of it. After exploring with her eyes, she began to let her hands do the work. The back of her fingers slid up Mina's sides, making her shiver in pleasure. As Taki's hands traveled over Mina's breasts for the second time, Mina reached behind her and turned off the running faucet. She leaned down a bit more, still straddling the girl underneath her. She pressed her lips on Taki's, letting her hands mimic Taki's. She let them slide down as far as they could go in the crowded space. Taki pressed her lips back on Mina's then relaxed them to kiss her for real. She opened her mouth and closed in on Mina's lips, letting out a satisfied breath from her nose. Mina licked Taki's bottom lip, triggering Taki's patience. Taki pulled away and smirked at Mina. Mina grinned in return, lifting her body again.

"You didn't come in here to clean yourself, did you?" Even though Taki knew she needed to, Mina was absolutely right. The girls climbed out of the tub, and Mina instantly grabbed Taki. The girls' lips crashed together, eagerly. This was what they'd been missing for so long. Screw Takuan, screw Mukai, and screw their mission. This night was theirs, and they were going to take control of it.

Mina pulled Taki back out of the room and toward the bed behind her. The back of her knees hit the edge of it, and the two toppled on top of the now soaked sheets. Their kiss didn't break, however, and they moved until both were comfortable on the bed. Taki forced Mina to lay under her, which Mina would have obliged to do anyway. Taki's fingers brushed against Mina's smooth skin, traveling down her side, around her thighs, and to her inner thighs. Mina bucked her hips and let out a moan when Taki's fingertips tickled the area. Taki teased her though, and pulled her tongue from Mina's mouth to her neck and down to her shoulders. She reached the collarbone and nibbled a bit, then stretched her body so that her lips met Mina's ear. She let her tongue leave a trail of saliva just above the earlobe and upwards, then back down. She grabbed her lobe with her teeth and pulled gently, presented with another moan from Mina.

At last, Mina felt a single finger begin to enter her, and she squirmed a bit. Just the _thought_ of doing this with Taki excited her. Taki's finger entered as far as it would go, and she slowly began to move it around, making sure she pressed against every part of Mina's walls with it. Taki grinned at the soft moans and breaths Mina continued to give, and she put her mouth over the other's to swallow them. She unraveled her other finger and slide it into Mina next to her first one, this one being her middle finger and a bit longer. She was able to reach further into Mina, and began to move that one around as well. Not wanting to rush it too much, she kept her other fingers away for several moments, deciding to press her two fingers into Mina instead. She pulled them out slightly and pushed them back in. Mina bucked her hips another time, putting her legs around Taki's lower back, giving Taki more room. When Taki pushed her fingers in again, Mina grabbed Taki with both of her arms, moaning once more into her mouth. Taki's fingernails tickled – and at the same time dug painfully – into Mina. Taki felt that it wasn't quite enough yet, and entered a third finger into the girl under her. This forced Mina's walls to spread a bit, which stung at first and caused Mina to give a slight cry of pain. After a few seconds the pain vanished, and Mina felt the discomfort replace with enjoyment.

Taki began a pace of pulling her fingers out and pushing them back in. Mina picked up the rhythm and pushed her hips up to meet each push, the wave of pleasure now existing in three times as the amount she'd felt before. Taki felt Mina cum, and smirked into the kiss she and Mina still held. She finally slid in her fourth finger, and Mina once again cried in pain and pleasure, at the same time now. Taki began to pick up her pace, and Mina began having trouble keeping up with her. Her arms were still around Taki's back, but Taki's free hand began to creep up Mina's stomach. Her fingers slide over Mina's nipple, then grasped it and pinched. She twisted it around in her fingers, and Mina gave another moan. It stung so badly, but the chills she got from it were sensational, so she couldn't complain. Once the right one was as hard as it could get, Taki moved to the next one, this time with her mouth. Still working with her fingers in and out of Mina, she slid her tongue over the softer nipple, making it harden quicker than the first one. She gave it a final nip with her teeth, and it was complete. This gave Taki and idea. She slid her fingers out of Mina completely, and, ignoring the disappointed groan from Mina, she lowered herself so her head was where her fingers had just exited. She replaced them with her tongue. Mina let out more than a moan this time. Taki's tongue was warm and very wet, making it all the more pleasurable. Since Taki's body was too far down for Mina's legs to reach, she bent her knees up and spread them as far as she could, giving Taki as much room as she needed. Taki pressed her head to Mina, her tongue sliding in not as far as her fingers, but it took up more room and was much more flexible. Mina threw her head back and gave a three second-long moan, this one much louder than the last. She put both hands on either side of Taki's head, pulling it towards her even more. Taki sighed and moaned along with Mina. The taste in her mouth was fantastic, so she moved her tongue in a circular motion to take up as much as she could.

Finally, Taki pulled away from Mina and lay on top of her again. Mina's breath was completely taken away. Taki grinned at the satisfied look on Mina's face, but snatched a bit of the skin on her neck to get her attention. Mina's eyes darted to Taki's face, and she realized that they weren't done yet. She smirked and rolled over on top of Mina. The look in Taki's eyes told her to get on with it, and make it good. So she did.

Mina slid two fingers into Taki at first, making Taki's mouth open in surprise. She had expected Mina to be more hesitant. Not that she was complaining. She felt the girl's fingers move around with force… like she was donating her pleasure back to Taki. In no more than ten seconds did she enter two other fingers, making Taki moan as loudly as Mina had. Mina grinned at her work and began to pump her fingers in and out of Taki, bending the tips of her fingers when she forced them in. Taki moaned as she did this and smiled. Why hadn't she thought of that? Mina pulled her hand away and lifted it to her mouth, sucking on two of her fingers, lowering herself to Taki's face as she did. She put the other two near Taki's mouth, and Taki snatched them with her lips, sliding her tongue around Mina's fingers. Mina took her fingers back and gave Taki a quick kiss before sliding her tongue down her neck, chest – making sure she got to both nipples before getting to her stomach – down to her legs and of course, in between them. Her tongue found its way inside Taki, slowly reaching every part of her. Taki gave several sighs of delight, trying not to make as much noise as Mina had. The inn was obviously empty, but Takuan and Hougei could hear anything from where there room was. Still, she couldn't help but give out a loud moan when Mina bit Taki's clit, pulling slightly. Taki put her hands on the bed on either side of her, clutching the sheets tightly. This was _so_ much better than their night in the woods.

Mina pulled away from Taki and smiled at her, obviously proud of her job. She looked around for a moment, then climbed off the bed and searched in her pack for something. Taki brought herself up on her elbows and watched the girl curiously. At last, Mina pulled out a black hairbrush. The handle was completely smooth, and it was about as long as Taki's hand. The end of it was curved so there were no edges at that end. Mina grinned impishly at Taki, getting back on the bed, but more to Taki's side. She took the brush in one of her hands and put the handle's tip at Taki's entrance, making the girl gasp. She _wouldn't_…

She did. Mina pushed the brush handle into Taki, holding the brush by the part with the actual brush part of it. Taki moaned and bucked her hips twice as much as Mina had. It was the most sensation she'd felt all night. Mina pulled it out and pushed it in again, harder this time. Taki's hips lifted with it as she gave another moan. Mina started the rhythm that Taki had left. She made sure every thrust was full, forceful, and smooth. Taki had no problem keeping up with the rhythm. Her hips met with every push with just as much force Mina was giving. Her moans picked up into yells; the pushes were getting harder and quicker. Taki finally gave a slight scream, trying to fit Mina's name – or any other word she could think of – into the scream, but she couldn't. It was too much work to think, and too much work to say anything. Mina positioned herself so that she straddled Taki again, this time lower and on her thighs. She used both hands to thrust the handle into Taki, able to give much more force this time. Taki couldn't hold herself anymore and climaxed, moaning loudly as she did. She gave one more defeated moan and Mina finally stopped. She threw the brush to the side and came down on Taki, forcing her tongue into her mouth. Their tongues went into World War III, mixing saliva and biting lips. Taki grasped Mina's sides, pulling the girl's body down on hers, sending a wave of pleasure through both their bodies (seeing as how both of their lower areas were right on each other). Taki moved her hands to Mina's head, tilting her own and deepening the kiss as far as it could possibly go. Mina's tongue managed to reach the back of Taki's throat. Taki slid her tongue over Mina's and did the same to her, pulling a moan out of the girl's throat. Their kiss slowed down a bit, and turned into smaller, passionate kisses. Taki's lips opened and closed over Mina's, and Mina did the same to Taki whenever she could. Their tongues still flicked out at every given chance, wetting the other's lips and the skin around them.

They pulled away from each other, each giving a loving expression. Mina, since she was still on top of Taki, reached over and pulled the chain to the lamp on the side table next to them, a rush of darkness spreading over them. Mina pulled the wet, cold sheets over both of them. Their body heat warmed the bed quickly, but they still held onto each other. Taki wrapped her arms around Mina's shoulders, her face nuzzled in her wet hair. Mina's arms were linked around Taki's waist, and her head rested on Taki's shoulder, the curve in her nose pressing gently against her neck. Both of their heads were spinning; they'd just had crazy, mind-blowing lesbian sex with each other, and neither of them regretted it.

* * *

Eh? So? How's that for my first lemon? I tried to make it as long as I could. I figured the more the better.

I think I've realized that the only reason there aren't a whole lot of reviews popping up for this fic is because it doesn't say there's anything like a lemon in the summary. Well, I refuse to put one there. If you're going to look for rated-M stories just for verbal porn, you're a strange person for one thing, but it's disrespectful for the ones who put time and much effort into their writing. I've read some terrible love stories from people who are just giving it a shot. But if you're not going to put anything into it, then don't bother, and if you're not going to read the ones that do, why should I bother? Can you see where I'm going with this?

Anyway, I really hoped whoever reads this story enjoyed it. I'm thinking I have a maximum of four more chapters to do. That's all that's in me for this fic. Maybe I'll think of a better plot with a lot more for it.

Until then, thanks for reading!


	15. RB: Chapter 15

The incredibly ruthless pounding on their door woke them in unanimity. They analyzed quickly; they heard no voice with the knocking, so it couldn't be Hougei. The man was too cheery _not_ to give a rise-and-shine comment. Besides, he wasn't the type of man to knock that loudly, much less in the morning.

The banging had been extremely loud, so it could or couldn't be Takuan. There was a possibility that he could be in a terrible mood, but looking at his size, how could he have hit the door so hard?

The knock came again, and the girls looked at the door. The knock was louder this time, and they noted that the sound waves were coming from a higher point of the door that neither Hougei nor Takuan could have reached.

In other words, they had an intruder.

Both girls found and put on their clothing –additionally arming their weapons – and cautiously came to the door. They opened it to see a man two inches taller than they were. He wore a bloodstained outfit, of which they could see consisted of fresh and rotted blood. His hair and skin were incredibly dirty, but the pallor of his skin was still noticeable, and it was clear that his hair was naturally a very bright shade of orange. As he looked at them, his goaded look developed into a smirk, and his grin made both girls want to hit him.

Standing before them once again was none other than Yunsung.

* * *

"Hey kiddos. Thought you missed me," Yunsung said with a chuckle at the girls' looks. They weren't of shock, however. They were of pure hate. They hated him for being alive, that was obvious. But they hated themselves for not making sure it was the opposite. Especially Taki. What had she done wrong? Yunsung wasn't _that_ clever… was he?

Yunsung ran a calloused hand through his hair, brushing dirt off and sending it flying in every direction. "You don't seem surprised to see me. But if you're not surprised, then why do you look confused, Taki?" Taki gave him the dirtiest look she possibly could. He flashed another sly grin, not waiting for an answer. "You must be wondering why I didn't die. Well, you see this?" He lifted his chin, and Taki groaned. So _that's_ what had happened…

A scar line ran under Yunsung's chin… just barely reaching the first point that should have killed him. Yunsung ran a finger along the line, as if Taki appeared to be having a hard time seeing it. He lowered his head again, and spoke, this time with a bit of hatred in his voice. "It's hard to talk, Taki. It's hard to _breath_. And what do I have to blame? The reckless temper of a female warrior who's too careless to check if their victim is still breathing, that's what. Kinda dense, aren't you?" Taki gritted her teeth, and Yunsung continued, seeing that she wasn't going to comment. "You see, Taki, letting your enemy know _when_ you're going to kill them is a big mistake. You should know that. It's _where_ they're going to attack that you have to arrange in your favor. The very moment before you sliced my skin –" Taki noticed that there was a hint of anger in a few of those words "– I positioned myself so that your knife didn't hit where it should have, but just where it could. Without my death being a part of the result, of course. And you were far to busy making sure I would die, all because of your anger. Tsk, tsk… so very careless, m'dear." Yunsung smirked. Taki's fists were clenched so tight that her knuckles were white.

She wanted to be angry with Yunsung, but she knew it was wrong. She couldn't simply blame him… he'd only been trying to stay alive. She would've done the same. So because she couldn't be angry with him, she had to be angry with herself. In all reality, it was her fault anyway, and Yunsung was right about everything. She'd been too careless, and she'd made the biggest mistake on their entire mission, and it was probably going to affect the rest of it. She glared as hard as she could at Yunsung, still denying that it was her fault on her outer-most level of emotion. He only grinned at her, making her angrier. Mina couldn't stand it anymore. She reached forward and put her hand on Taki's, and jumped when she felt her flinch. Nervous – and a bit frightened – she pulled back. Was she that mad? Clearly her hate for Yunsung was growing by the second, but she wouldn't possibly dare to put it into action… _here_, would she?

No more than two seconds after she'd thought it; Taki stepped forward and released her fists, using one hand to pull out the weapon sheathed on her back. Mina sighed and lowered her head. Not here, Taki… not _here_. Yunsung rolled his eyes and raised his hands defensively, using that same innocent voice that he'd used the first day the mission had begun that made Taki want to spit in his face. Actually, that didn't sound like a bad idea right now.

"Taki, please. I'm not going to fight you." Taki blinked, not moving. He didn't want to fight her? What was this about? She held her weapon tighter and tried to keep the confusion away from her face.

"Then why the hell did you come looking for us?" Yunsung gave another depraved grin, and Taki regretted the question almost immediately.

"I never said I wasn't going to torture you. Here, come see for yourself." Mina and Taki's hearts skipped a beat each. This didn't sound good, no matter what it was. They reluctantly followed Yunsung out into the hallway and to the first floor. Hougei was no where to be found, but Taki could've sworn that before she followed the other two out the front door that she spotted blood on the bell she'd handed Takuan the night before.

They stopped outside, and while Yunsung held an arrogant smile on his face, Taki and Mina's expressions were much more traumatized. Corpses lay everywhere, surrounded by blood. A few women still held onto their dead children, their faces nowhere close to peaceful. They saw men with poorly made weapons still in their hands, none of them covered in blood. Yunsung cleared his throat impatiently. The girls looked at him with more hate than before. They knew this was his work, and what made it worse was that he was proud of it. He leaned back against the wall behind him, arms behind his head.

"So, what's say we pick up where we left off, eh? Let's get this over with and head on over to the Unknown Leaders or whatever. Do you have everything you need?"

Taki, as much as she wanted to give the criminal's neck another scar, mumbled slightly when she answer, not knowing what else to say. "Our accomplice isn't with us. I'll go get him." Mina looked at her as if she was crazy, only receiving a look asking what else to do. Before Taki could go inside, Yunsung stopped her.

"You won't be needing him." Taki raised an eyebrow, and Yunsung shrugged. "You'll have to trust me."

"That's rich, coming from you."

"Hilarious. Let's get moving, then?"

He began to walk the opposite way of which they'd already come, the girls following him. They would have walked in front of him, but it would be harder for him to pull something stupid while they were behind him. They came to the edge of the village. The breeze picked up into a strong wind, and several trees swayed with it. Something caught Mina's eye to her right, and she looked in the direction of what she saw. Her eyes grew wide with horror as she grabbed Taki's wrist. Taki's head jerked in the same direction, and she too looked at the scene in revulsion.

Takuan hung from a large tree by a grey cord, swinging along with the wind. Taki had to stop Mina from jumping at Yunsung, who only laughed; knowing they'd discovered his filthy deed. Mina stopped struggling in Taki's arms and glared at Yunsung's head.

"Bastard."

"Love you too."

* * *

It felt like forever, but it had only been a day. The girls had hated Yunsung even more when he started mentioning that they needed to pick up speed. Why was he in such a hurry? It was irritating, confusing, and it was breaking the willpower to not kill the idiot.

This time, Yunsung refused to stop at night, and as much as both girls wanted to, they knew there would be trouble if they opposed. Especially since he wanted to get there so badly, and they wanted to know what was going on.

Later on in the night, Taki had been thinking about why Yunsung had destroyed the entire village. Sure the buildings were left untouched, but these were innocent people that none of them knew, with the exception of Takuan. This reminded her of the stone. It was still hanging from the tree, along with its master. But what did she care? She couldn't use it, she didn't need it, and right now, she didn't want to do so much as think about it. She couldn't take her mind off Yunsung and what his problem was. Ever since they'd left the inn in the village, he'd done nothing but give them commands, as if they had a sword to their backs the whole time. But not once had Yunsung revealed his weapon, and this confused Taki even more. Yunsung had been all for fighting back in the woods, and _now_ he was pacifistic? It made no sense, and she wanted some answers.

"Don't ask him."

Taki snapped out of her thoughts and let her eyes travel to Mina. She was still looking forward as she walked, but she was talking directly to Taki, making sure her voice was low. Yunsung was far ahead, as they'd kept it the whole day, but better safe than sorry. Taki knew what she meant, and she focused on the road once again.

"Then you do it."

"I plan to."

Taki nodded. Mina knew her all too well. If Taki asked, an argument was likely to start up, and even though Yunsung had assured them he wasn't in the mood for violence, that didn't mean that Taki wasn't. Mina, however, had more self-control than Taki did, and could probably lure some honest answers out of Yunsung.

"Yunsung, slow down."

"I told you, we have to get there as soon as possible."

"No, we need to talk."

"This is fine."

"No, it isn't." Yunsung noticed how closer her voice was this time, and he looked over his shoulder. Both girls had moved up so that they walked nearly four feet behind him. He chuckled and looked forward again. Mina hated herself for letting Yunsung get his way again, but this was too important to let grudges stand in the way of it. Taki kept silent as Mina carefully began.

"Why did you take over our mission like this?"

"Simple. I had to."

"It's not that simple, especially when it's worded like that, but I'll ignore it. Why do you want to get to the Unknown Leaders so quickly? And don't say you have to. I'm aware of that."

Yunsung grinned. "The sooner the better." Mina rolled her eyes.

"Why did you kill the villagers?"

"It was fun."

"Fuck you, Yunsung."

Yunsung let out a small laugh. "You're precious when you're feisty, did you know that?"

"_Fuck you_."

Yunsung sighed. "Fine, pick one of the questions, and I'll answer it truthfully." Mina looked to her left, and Taki shrugged. She didn't care; she was just glad Mina had gotten something out of Yunsung. Mina looked forward again.

"Answer the third one." She was sure she would find out the first two as soon as they reached the Leaders. Yunsung walked with his hands behind his head again.

"I killed those people for two reasons. For one thing, I'd threatened them, and a few of them had tried to attack me. Too uptight, if you ask me. But really, I killed them because…" He paused for a second. "Because I was banned from that village when I was eight years old."

Taki and Mina gave confused looks at the back of Yunsung's head, and though he couldn't see them, he knew they were there, so he explained further.

"I wasn't born there, but my father traveled all the time. Ever since my mother died, I remember him taking me to all sorts of places, like different rivers and stuff. We'd do all sorts of things. He even taught me how to use a bow. One day we traveled to that village we just left. He said he knew some people there, and he was right. The very minute we entered the village, people came out to greet us. They were so excited, and I was happy that I was the son of someone so famous, even if it was in a place so small. I was proud to have my father be so welcomed by a place like that. Everyone was so friendly that day. My father had even been flirting with a few women. They threw this whole party and everything, and even though I had no idea why they were so excited, I was still happy. That night, Hougei, of whom I'm sure you met, invited my father and I to stay in his inn. We gratefully accepted, and he gave us one of the rooms in the front of the hallway on the bottom floor. While I was trying to sleep, I heard a lot of commotion just outside the window. I noticed that my dad had left the room, and I ran outside in the hallway and out of the inn. People were arguing with my father, and I ran to him, tugging on his pants. Everyone was telling him to get out of the village, and no one would tell me what was happening. My father kept apologizing, but no one would listen to him either. Finally, one of them men stepped forward and pulled a knife out, grabbing me and holding the knife to my throat. He said that if my father didn't leave at once, he would kill me, followed by my father. My father didn't do anything for a moment, and I got scared. Finally, he said, 'Go ahead'. The man didn't kill me, but he let me go and shoved me at my father. I fell in front of him, and looked up at him with tears in my eyes, not able to believe that he'd actually told someone to kill his own son. My father wouldn't look at me, but he didn't leave, either. The man that had held me walked forward, and without hesitation, he rammed the knife into my father's stomach. The last thing I remember seeing was my father smiling while his blood dripped into my eyes. The next thing I remember is waking up back at home, where one of the villagers was waiting for me to become conscious again. He told me I was safe at my own house, and left without another word. So hopefully, you can understand why I had to kill those villagers."

Mina didn't have a thing to say, but Taki did.

"Yunsung, that'd ridiculous. I feel bad for you, honestly I do, but that must have happened twenty or something years ago. Don't you think some of those people would have died already? What about the ones that have been born since then? You probably killed more innocent people than the ones you already knew. Besides, you didn't even know the reason your father was killed. What if he was a criminal? For all you know, he could have killed someone in that village or something. What you did was a little harsh, and I don't think the village deserved it."

Yunsung, for the first time that day, stopped walking. Taki and Mina stopped as well, though now closer to Yunsung. He slowly looked over his shoulder so that he was almost looking at Taki. It was a little dark out, but Taki noticed that there was a look in his eyes that she hadn't seen before, at least not from him. It looked like frustration.

"Watch where your place is, Taki. You don't know a fucking _thing_ about my father, so don't talk to me like you know him." And he walked forward again. Mina bit her lip and followed, giving a look to Taki like she should have kept her mouth shut. Taki, though she didn't want to, silently told herself Mina was right.

The rest of the night was very silent. The only sound they heard for several hours was shuffling of feet and the occasional snapping of leaves or twigs. Finally, the three came to the edge of another forest, and Taki dreaded going into it. Gods knew how long it would take. She looked above it and saw several mountains beyond the forest. Perhaps that was where these Leaders were.

They stopped again and let Yunsung observe the forest, though they didn't know why he needed to. After a few minutes, he turned to them.

"From here on, we have to travel at full speed until I say differently." He turned again and got a jogging start. Knowing they didn't have much of a choice – especially if they wanted to keep him in eyesight – they followed at the same speed. Once they'd all gotten used to running, they darted as quickly as they could. Yunsung was surprisingly fast, given that his clothing was rather baggy and long, but both girls easily managed to keep up with him. Their health was high, since they hadn't done much since meeting Takuan.

Thankfully, the forest wasn't as thick as the last one. In fact, they could see the moon through the treetops much more easily than last time, which gave them all the more light to see the path ahead of them. It would have made it much harder if it had been nearly pitch black like they were used to. Taki found that running through the forest on a flat ground was much more convenient, and she actually felt like they were getting somewhere. She nearly groaned, though, when Yunsung decided to take it to the trees.

As the three jumped from branch to branch, they noticed that they were getting closer and closer to the mountains by the very second. Mina and Taki were surprised, and wondered if the mountains were really that close, or if they hadn't run in so long that they didn't have a clue how fast they were actually going.

In a matter of hours, they found themselves nearing the beginning of their final destination. Yunsung sped up a bit, then jumped from a branch close to the edge of the forest, landing in front of all trees. Taki and Mina jumped and landing directly next to him on either side. They looked up at the towering mountains in front of them. It was surprisingly cold, even for them and being on the ground rather than on the mountains. Yunsung gave a look at each of them. He moved his head forward once again, sighed, and lowered it.

"We're here." Taki tilted her head.

"You mean we're not going up the mountains? I thought that's why we came all the way –"

"We're not going _up_ it. We're going _in_ it."

"I see. And how are we achieving this?"

Yunsung said nothing. He walked towards the mountain, and the girls didn't hesitate to follow. The closer they got, the more details they noticed. In fact, Mina noticed there was a little too much detail for this mountain. Yunsung came up to the very edge of it, and Mina knew it wasn't a mountain. It was a building. She looked down and around at the edges of the "mountain". She could see cracks coming from the bottom of it, and there was grass here and there on the building. Yunsung looked around for a second or two, then seemed to find a fitting spot and knocked the back of his knuckles on it four times.

A door slid open to their left.

* * *

Eh, it seems the closer I get to finishing, the messier the chapters get. I'm trying, though. Keep patient.

Yeah, so I went a little dramatic with this chapter. I think there was a bit of angst in there too. Maybe a tint of it? I dunno. Don't ask me where I got that story for Yunsung, because I have no fucking clue. I'm working on the next chapter as we speak, so be ready!


	16. RB: Chapter 16

Ah, here it is. The final chapter of Rule Breaking. Sad, isn't it?  
The chapter is going to be shorter than the previous two, but it explains a lot, including a question in one of the reviews I got. So please, enjoy!

**Edit**: I realize that I mixed up the names at the end before, and I deeply apologize for that. After re-reading it, I know it must have made it so confusing, thus ruining the story. I have fixed it, though it probably didn't make much of a difference to those that have already read it.

* * *

It was much bigger than Mina or Taki had expected, but they'd really never been inside a mountain before, so who could tell?

There was only one room, but it was huge. There were random, large shelves sticking out of the walls, almost in a stair-shape going up the side of the building. There was a large circular platform in front of them, and in front of that was a table aligned with the platform, behind it sitting fourteen chairs.

Thirteen of them were occupied. Twelve of these occupants wore white masks, and all wore black cloaks.

The creature in the middle, which Taki and Mina assumed to be a Gremble, leaned forward and cleared his throat.

"Step onto the platform, if you will."

Without a single word, the three of them stepped onto the large platform in front of them. Each of them knew better, whether they knew their commander or not, to do what they were told when their orders came from high statuses. The Gremble in the middle linked his fingers together and rested his elbows on the table, leaning forward and closing his eyes.

"You've done well, Yunsung. You have my thanks."

Yunsung placed an arm across his stomach and bowed a low, respectful bow. "I deserve no thanks; it is my duty to serve you, Mei." Taki and Mina took the opportunity to look at each other over Yunsung's body with questioning expressions. What exactly was going on here?

Mei lowered his arms and looked at the three of them.

"Rise, Yunsung, and step back please." Yunsung lifted himself and nodded, backing away from the platform, stepping behind it and crossing his arms. Taki and Mina continued to look forward. They were here. After such a long time and so many obscurities, they were finally here. Taki wondered if she should say something, or ask a question to seem more polite. But she wasn't sure if either were suitable for the time or place. Mina felt no need to say or do anything. It was too awkward for both. Mei took a good look at each of them, and leaned back in his seat.

"Take them, and be careful. They're feisty ones."

Taki and Mina gasped, looking around and just now noticing the several guards that surrounded them at the walls. Mei chuckled and enjoyed the expressions on the girls' faces, while his fellow Grembles did the same. Taki and Mina, however, couldn't be more confused, but since he'd warned the guards, they might as well take advantage of it.

Taki reached at her side and over her shoulder for her weapons, while Mina pulled hers from behind her back. They readied themselves in a fighting stance, and the guards began to run forward. Mina darted towards the one closest to her, slamming Scarlet into the side of his helmet. He groaned and staggered backwards, and Mina pushed her rod into the floor and jumped up, front flipping in the air and kicking the back of the guard's head when she was behind him. She landed and turned, stepping on the guard and driving her weapon as hard as she could. Luckily, the armor wasn't as tough as she thought it would be, and it went right through. He choked, unable to do anything else, and fell flat. Mina pulled Scarlet away and growled at the next three guards coming to fight her.

Taki, meanwhile, was slashing away at everything that moved, violently, but complete with care and skill. From any other person, it would look like she was just randomly swinging her arms away in a more defensive manner. But Taki was putting up one hell of a fight for someone with five guards on their ass. She made sure she spotted the weak points in the guards' armor, then slashed at or stabbed those points, either immediately killing them or injuring them to the point where they fell to the floor, depending on where the points where.

Mei was very amused. He knew these women were among the best, but he honestly had no awareness of their skill, otherwise he wouldn't have sacrificed nine of his best guards so quickly. Then again, he knew they wouldn't have stood any chance in the end.

No sooner did he think this last thought that he noticed both girls in front of him were standing straight once again, nine dead bodies laying around them with puddles of blood staining their armor and creating borders for their outlines. Mei nodded slowly, as if only to himself, and thought for a second. Taki and Mina never sheathed their weapons; they didn't know what else he was going to throw at them. Finally, Mei stood. He walked around the table, the other Grembles watching him, and stood in front of the two warriors. He looked up at them with an expression so greatly filled with meaning, and they were having a hard time determining whether this was good or not. At last, he smiled.

"I knew we had summoned the correct ones. No others would have fought my sentinels without vacillation, and others would have asked questions of inanity. But you two were different, and this will remain the same. I have something to ask of you, however. Where is our brother, Takuan? Have you not him with you?" Taki and Mina instantly felt a pang of guilt, but then again, Yunsung was the cause of one of their deaths. Then again, their situation was more dramatic. Their callers, the ones standing before them, had depended on the two of them to bring back one of their own. It had been their mission, and they'd disregarded it completely. Of course, Takuan had convinced them that things would be well, and Mei hadn't asked about Mukai. Taki wondered about this, and spoke up.

"You see, _Mei_…" She started slowly, testing to see if addressing them by their name was acceptable. When he did nothing, she continued. "We had a bit of trouble along the way, as you would imagine. We were… _distracted_…" She and Mina exchanged knowing looks for a moment, then Taki looked at Mei again. "We were distracted, and we soon realized that Mukai was not with us anymore. We're terribly sorry, but we haven't been able to find him since, and Takuan told us that he'd be here, and…"

"Ah, but he is, child. Mukai, identify yourself."

One of the Grembles behind the table stood up then, reaching up with a hand and pulling off his mask, indeed revealing the face of their old "friend". He smiled at them, then immediately put his mask back on. Mei gave a reassuring smile. "You still have not answered my question. What troubles you?" Taki scratched her head, and Mina glared at Yunsung. Mei noticed Mina's change of mood and looked at her.

"Is he involved, Mina? Come forth, Yunsung, and explain."

Yunsung returned Mina's glare, but obliged his order. Mei said nothing, but waited for Yunsung to say something, so he did.

"You see, my lord, it was I who murdered Takuan. I ask for your forgiveness, but I cannot tell you why I have done so. Please, absolve me, my master."

The Grembles sitting at the table began talking immediately, loudly and continuously. Mei's expression darkened. "You tell me that you have killed one of our own, Yunsung? That you murdered one of my brothers, after you were granted such an amount of trust and faith from this place? Damnation, Yunsung, do tell us the reason for your sin!" Yunsung shook his head.

"I told you, my lord, I cannot." Mina had had enough by now.

"But you told us! And why do you keep calling him 'my lord'?" Yunsung glared at her again as he had before.

"I told you why I killed the villagers, Mina, but not why I killed Takuan. They were not exactly two _different_ matters, but one is much more personal than the other. Even so, you already know the other reason. You're blind to it, that's all. But I refuse to say it." He paused. "And Mei is my lord because I chose to serve him many years ago. He's always asked why I made the choice, but I've never told anyone, even though this deals with the matter of Takuan as well." Mina wasn't finished.

"What do you mean I already know? And what is this big deal you keep talking about? Why tell us that we know about it when we obviously don't, and not tell us afterwards?"

"_Because I refuse to_." Yunsung's fists were clenched now. Mina pressed him further, and Taki knew she was getting somewhere.

"No one cares if you want to tell us or not. You pretty much have to; it's our business as much as yours, Yunsung. There's no reason to –"

"Because Takuan was my father, damn it!"

No one spoke. Mina's mouth was slightly open, and she closed it slowly. Mei's expression was no longer filled with hate, but with sudden understanding. He was the only one that dared to say anything.

"I see now, Yunsung. I understand."

"No, you don't."

"I do. You never served me. You served your father."

Mina and Taki gasped. They understood as well. Taki wanted to slap herself. Why hadn't she seen it before? It was so obvious now! Mina lowered her head and spoke even quieter than Mei had.

"You killed your father because he told that man to kill you, didn't you? You waited until we were in the same village and killed him there. _Didn't you_?"

Yunsung didn't speak. He couldn't; he was far too ashamed of himself and what he'd done. Mei reached forward and put a hand on one of Yunsung's arms.

"What you did was completely understandable. I know of this occurance of which Mina speaks. You should know, however, that your father never wanted you to die. He knew you wouldn't, which is why he said what he'd said. The reason you never saw him again until now was because he'd come to us to have a new start. He never died that day in the village so many years ago; your father was much stronger than that. But you knew all this, didn't you? That's why you found us and almost immediately asked to serve us. All because you were completely aware of where your father was. You waited so long, though. Why did you do this?"

Yunsung shrugged. "I never wanted to rush into it. I figured if I just went up and killed him, I never would have gotten away with it. But I guess that didn't go to well for me either." Mina blushed. That was her fault. But she felt Yunsung's hand on her shoulder. "I couldn't be more grateful, though. I'd rather come clean with what I've done now, instead of committing so many crimes and getting away with them." He turned to Mei. "You could help me do this, couldn't you, my lord?"

Mei nodded. "Indeed I could, Yunsung, but you are aware of what this takes. Are you sure you're ready to do this?" Yunsung nodded, and Mei gave a single nod back. He turned to his fellow Grembles and motioned for them to come forward. He picked out nine of them and they stood in front of Yunsung.

"Yunsung, warrior of thieves and felony, you have admitted to your transgression and have not only agreed to cleanse your acts, but have requested it. Are you prepared for what you know awaits you?"

Yunsung nodded. "I am."

Mei pulled out a small knife, followed by the other nine Grembles. Yunsung held out his hands, palm up. They each held a knife over one of Yunsung's fingers. Mei, holding his knife steadily above Yunsung's right middle finger, cleared his throat.

"Blood shedder and sword wielder, with approval from the gods and permission of your chosen lords, be cleansed of your evil doing!" The ten Grembles then placed the tips of their knives at the beginning of Yunsung's fingers, then pulled towards them to the tip of the fingers, lacerating each one as slowly as possible. The cuts were deep and wide from being made from the middle of the knives. Yunsung winced, but did not move otherwise. Taki and Mina, weapons now put away, watched silently with respect. They were amazed at what Yunsung was doing, and slightly admired him for it.

When the Grembles were done, they quickly wiped the blood from their knives, and Yunsung lowered his arms to his sides. Taki and Mina moved to Yunsung's sides, each placing a hand on his shoulders. His blood dripped to the floor, two puddles on either side of Yunsung's feet. The Grembles in front of him put their knives away.

Not a sole face in the room didn't have a smile on it.

* * *

Yes, that's it. I think that wrapped up any confusion the story might have caused (which I apologize for if it did). I hadn't exactly planned out the ending from the beginning, but that's the great thing about writing. I don't think I did too bad on this story, especially for one such as this. I tried to make it as close to in-character as the characters could be. No, no one would act like this in our world, but think about the SC world and what they act like. I don't know about the facts for Yunsung's family, but even if I did, I probably would have ignored them. The point of a fanfiction remains obvious, no?

I'm thinking about doing an epilogue for this story. I'm _thinking_ about it. It might be nice to sugar coat all the tension the story bestowed. I'd like to know if this ending was a suitable one, though. I only had three reviewers, and I don't know how many readers, but I appreciate all of them. Hopefully it didn't seem like I took the easy way out for this story, but I tried to make up for it the best ways I could. Thanks so much for reading!

-Scarlet


	17. RB: Epilogue

Ah, it's finally here! The epilogue! This is an optional ending, but mind you, I think it ends the story better. However, it might not be the type of ending some of you hoped for. It does involve a bit of romance, and again, it doesn't meet expectations.

Still, enjoy, and read between the lines, if you will.

* * *

There's no such thing as a happy ending. There never was, and there never will be. Life can settle down, but memories will never die. New love can be made, but old love can never be forgotten. Happiness is impossible to be bought, but it can be earned. It's always easier to forgive than to forget, but that doesn't mean forgiving isn't hard to do.

That's what wars do to people, anyway.

Yunsung stood at the window in the room he was in and sighed. There was no point in standing there. For the millionth time that day (on what seemed like the millionth day of the year), Yunsung waited. He knew it would take longer than he wanted, but he had hope.

Only days after the meeting with the Grembles' counsel, the creatures asked Taki and Mina to join them in their assemblage of assassins. Of course, they both accepted. All went well, naturally. No matter the rank of the missions they were given, they completed them, Taki, Yunsung and Mina, and were rewarded greatly with what they thought would be a happy ending. But life is long enough for a cruel twist of events.

Four years ago, Taki had been called in by her original commanders – unknown by the Leaders, along with Mina and Yunsung – and was sent to war. No one had originally worried for her; she'd been put in tougher situations.

Then again, her comrades had never betrayed her.

April 23rd, Taki was pronounced dead, cause being intentional murder of her own companion. The news was brought to The Leaders as a last request by Taki, minutes before she died. They were also told to give the following message, translated from Taki's mouth to paper – written by someone else, of course – and never allow anyone among the Leaders except Yunsung or Mina to read it:

_Happiness is all I wish, no, request of either of you. Do what you will with this permission I give you. I disallow either of you to mourn for me. I wish you both the best in life; live it like I remain with you._

_-Taki_

Neither of them had mourned since, though they had had a respectful ceremony for the female warrior. Afterwards, Mina had requested a private talk with Yunsung. She brought up the point that she wanted to remain happy and fulfill Taki's wishes.

In simpler words, she wanted to create a relationship with Yunsung once more.

It had taken them several days to make this decision a final one, and they both agreed that it was the right thing to do for several reasons. They did, however, set reassuring rules for the relationship.

First of all, Mina made sure Yunsung knew she wasn't using him, whether it be to forget about Taki or do the complete opposite and act as if he were her. Secondly, the relationship would be a gradual one, and nothing was to be rushed. Neither of them could handle that.

The only thing Yunsung had made clear was that he didn't want either of them to talk about Taki around each other ever again. They both understood why, and this had been the shortest segment of their talk.

Yunsung was proud to be in a relationship with Mina, and especially just to know her. She was the strongest woman he'd ever met. He could see her, day by day, hiding her persistent tears, covering her emotions with the only one she knew he wanted to see. She acted as happy as she could, but he read her like an open book. She inwardly mourned for Taki, even though she tried not to. The two had been close, and Yunsung knew they'd shared an unspoken bond. They hadn't shown any sign of it save the lust, and Yunsung was completely aware of this. He tried as often as he could not to show too much affection towards Mina.

That is, until one day, she pulled him into her bedroom – they had also agreed to sleep separately to be more comfortable – to have yet another talk with him. This one was much more serious, and even though Yunsung had thought about it many times before, he now had the decency to think twice about it.

Mina was ready to sleep with him. She made it abundantly clear that it was the choice she'd made, and she assured him she'd thought long and hard about it. It was time to move on, and this was as high as fulfilling Taki's request was going to get.

That same night, they created a land of passion and lust, and shared that land, but it wasn't anything close to what either had expected. Neither were sure of what the cause of their discomfort was, which made them all the less certain about whether they should stay away from the subject or keep trying.

They did both. For a few weeks, they calmed themselves, living normal lives – well, as normal as two assassins could live – with each other. Then, almost half a month later, they tried again. This time it was less awkward, and both decided it was the "right" thing to do.

Then, to both of their shock, Mina was called back to her old home. And who else was to call her but Nightmare, in need of serious discussion. She left two days after the notice.

Yunsung hadn't seen her since.

That was four years ago, and Yunsung had lost all hope. He was sure she was dead, and Nightmare was likely to be the cause of her death. There was nothing he could do about it, however. He had no clue of Nightmare's whereabouts, much less was he even certain that his theory of Mina's status was true.

Still, he made sure he had enough time each passing day to stare out the window, long enough to start daydreaming. It was hard not to, because in the months they'd shared together, they had grown on each other. There was a small piece of him that she was still out there, alive and well, ready to return to him at any moment.

That part of him was dying.

Yunsung sighed and pulled himself away from what had become his best friend over the past four years. It was also a traitor and he considered the window to be his enemy, mostly for not revealing what he wanted the most.

_Absurd_, Yunsung thought as he dragged himself down the hallway. He wasn't thinking about the window, either.

_There's no chance of her coming back, man. You're screwed. You blew it. You could have made this the best, and all you did was make it less comfortable. It's probably why she didn't come back. Of course she's still out there, but she's also out of your league. Forget it._

His other voice was telling him that Mina was alive... that she was coming back to him. She would be safe in Nightmare's presence. The doubtful voice was stronger.

The battle of hope and discouragement raged throughout the wheels in his head. He didn't realize he was standing in his doorway. The door was open behind him, and he sighed, closing it. He was ready to turn around when he heard a voice. It was familiar, and it was gentle. And it was calling his name.

Yunsung… Yunsung… 

"Yunsung?"

He froze. The voice was behind him now, and it sounded very close. He had been used to hearing her voice in his mind, and in his dreams. But now… now he heard it from only three feet away from him. He turned slowly, his eyes careful as his gaze traveled from the ground to her familiar body, then to her comforting face. As his eyes reached hers, she gave him a relaxed smile, her eyes crinkling to match. Yunsung grinned and stepped forward.

"God damn, woman. It took you long enough."

Mina smirked back and took Yunsung's hands.

"Sorry to keep you waiting."

Yunsung looked at his hands, squeezed hers, and smiled.

"Don't be."

* * *

Hm, I think that was a much better ending than what I left you readers with in the last chapter. Yes, yes, Taki died, and I brought Yunsung and Mina back together. I'd never intended for the story to have a completely happy ending. Fanfictions are fanfictions, yes, but you can't get too sidetracked from the reality of the original storyline, or it makes no sense.

This was mostly to show the moving on of Taki's mourners, especially Mina.  
It was also to show Yunsung's change of heart, if you'll notice it in the last few sentences. Yes, he's still the ignorant, sarcastic tease, but like I said before, read between the lines.

This story was very fun to write, though I think I'll stay away from Soul Calibur fics until I can get my hands on the third game. I'd love to write another one, but I had enough trouble finishing this one just because I can never play the game to get into the characters. Still, I very much hope my readers enjoyed it.

If you're a fan of other popular games or anime, please check out my other stories.

Thanks for reading!

-Scarlet


End file.
